Over 30,000 armed Fulani terrorists are operating across Nigeria in groups ranging from 10 to 1,000 members, according to the May 2026 report released by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF.
The report revealed that the militants have become some of the deadliest non-state actors driving religious freedom violations in Nigeria.
Titled “Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants,” the report mentioned that attacks carried out by armed actors of Fulani ethnic background intensified insecurity across the Middle Belt and southern regions, leaving thousands dead, displacing communities, and deepening tensions between religious groups.
“Violence by Fulani militants caused the highest number of deaths among all religious communities in Nigeria over the last year as compared to attacks by organized insurgent groups and criminal gangs,” the report stated.
According to the inquiry, many of the attacks targeted Christian communities, but Muslim communities also faced raids, executions, and kidnappings.
According to the report, while the groups lack centralized leadership, the USCIRF reported that some work with criminal gangs and extremist organizations.
The report explained, “These actors operate in a variety of contexts and with a multiplicity of likely aims and motivations.
“While many Fulani militant groups wage independent attacks, others periodically coordinate with a wide range of other actors, from conventional bandit gangs seeking financial enrichment to recognized terrorist organizations that espouse a violent interpretation of Islam.”
The commission states that militants frequently attack isolated rural communities at night using motorcycles, automatic weapons, and machetes.
“They often wield machetes and descend on vulnerable communities during the night, eliciting terror as a way to force victims to quickly leave and to achieve greater control of desired land,” the report said.
USCIRF stated that attacks by Fulani militants and other armed groups had displaced at least 1.3 million people in the Middle Belt, driving them into overcrowded camps with inadequate sanitation and security.
The report highlighted various incidents that occurred in 2025 and early 2026, including mass deaths in Benue and Plateau states.
“One attack in Benue in June 2025 killed at least 200 people, including internally displaced persons living in a Catholic mission,” the report said.
USCIRF also mentioned the 2025 massacre in Yelwata, Benue State, in which more than 200 Christians, “mostly sleeping women and children,” were allegedly slain and nearly 3,000 people relocated.
The report stated that militants planned several strikes to coincide with Christian religious holidays.
“Militant actors have often carried out operations during Christian holidays such as Christmas or Easter to further maximize the psychological impact,” the report stated.
It also stated that in February 2026, suspected Fulani militants killed at least 32 people in Niger State and assaulted Holy Trinity Parish in the Kafanchan Diocese of Kaduna State, murdering three people and kidnapping 11 others, including parish priest Father Nathaniel Asuwaye.
The report also revealed kidnappings aimed at both churches and mosques.
“In February 2026, armed men kidnapped an imam and seven worshipers from a mosque in Plateau,” USCIRF stated, adding that the kidnappers demanded a ransom of N16m.
According to the committee, Palm Sunday and Easter attacks in April 2026 killed scores of people in Plateau, Kaduna, and Benue states.
Terrorists storm Jos community, kill many on Palm Sunday
Terrorists kill one in fresh Plateau attack after Palm Sunday massacre
“On Easter Sunday, Fulani militants reportedly killed five worshippers at two churches in Kaduna State while abducting 31 others,” the report stated.
USCIRF mentioned that conflicting narratives surrounding the violence had complicated efforts to determine the motivations behind the attacks.
The commission highlighted, “Some observers have argued that environmental and economic factors are the driving force behind Fulani militants’ acts of violence, while others have suggested that these actors are engaged in a concerted campaign of outright genocide against non-Muslims, especially Christians.
“In fact, multiple and overlapping factors, including religion in many cases, likely spur Fulani militants to attack communities or individuals.”
The report condemned federal and state officials for what it called weak reactions to the violence.
“Victims have long reported that security forces are consistently slow to respond to attacks on their communities,” the commission stated.
USCIRF also stated that some Christian advocates accused security agencies of showing favoritism toward Muslim communities during investigations and security operations.
According to the article, governors from 11 states initiated a program in June 2025 to construct ranch areas for herders in an effort to decrease conflicts over grazing routes and cropland.
At the federal level, USCIRF attributed renewed federal government action to US President Donald Trump’s decision in October 2025 to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom issues.
Following the designation, President Bola Tinubu categorized kidnappers and dangerous armed organizations, including Fulani militants, as “terrorists” in December 2025, according to the panel.
According to the report, security officials freed 309 hostages in January 2026 while conducting operations in Kogi and Kwara states, arresting 129 alleged Fulani terrorists and killing 55 others.
USCIRF has raised concerns about the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria.
Christian leaders have accused the organization of failing to prevent militant bloodshed and land invasions. However, MACBAN denied aiding terrorist activities.
“We do not support, condone, harbor, finance, or protect any form of criminality, extremism, or violence,” the association said, according to the report.
According to USCIRF, the US Congress presented the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 in February, proposing sanctions against MACBAN for its involvement in egregious religious freedom violations.
Despite recent security measures and peace endeavors, the commission cautioned that violence persisted.
“As a result, central Nigeria remains entrenched in an intense, daily, and seemingly perpetual crisis of insecurity,” the report concluded.
The commission further stated that the crisis was likely to continue “until the federal and several state governments create broader underlying conditions that are more conducive to the safe practice of religious freedom.”
