30,000 Armed Fulani Fighters Behind Rising Violence In Nigeria — US Commission

A fresh report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has raised serious concerns over Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, revealing that an estimated 30,000 armed Fulani militants are currently operating across different parts of the country.

The report, released in May 2026 and titled “Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants,” described the groups as some of the deadliest non-state actors responsible for religious freedom violations and violent attacks across Nigeria. According to the commission, the militants operate in cells ranging from as few as 10 fighters to larger formations of up to 1,000 members, carrying out coordinated assaults across the Middle Belt and parts of Southern Nigeria.

USCIRF stated that attacks linked to armed Fulani groups caused more deaths over the last year than those attributed to insurgent organisations and criminal gangs combined. “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 organised insurgent groups and criminal gangs,” the report stated.

The commission noted that while many of the attacks targeted Christian communities, Muslim communities have also suffered killings, kidnappings and violent raids. According to the report, the militants do not operate under a single central leadership structure, but several groups maintain connections with criminal networks and extremist organisations. “These actors operate in a variety of contexts and with a multiplicity of likely aims and motivations,” USCIRF explained. “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 recognised terrorist organisations that espouse a violent interpretation of Islam.”

The report said the attackers frequently storm vulnerable rural communities at night on motorcycles, armed with automatic rifles 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 commission added.

USCIRF further disclosed that violence linked to Fulani militants and other armed groups has displaced at least 1.3 million people across Nigeria’s Middle Belt, forcing many victims into overcrowded camps with poor sanitation and limited security protection. The report cited several major attacks recorded in 2025 and early 2026, including deadly assaults 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 commission stated.

The report also referenced the widely reported massacre in Yelwata, Benue State, where more than 200 Christians mostly women and children were allegedly killed while over 3,000 people were displaced.

USCIRF alleged that some attacks were deliberately timed to coincide with major Christian celebrations such as Easter and Christmas in order to maximise fear and psychological impact. “Militant actors have often carried out operations during Christian holidays such as Christmas or Easter to further maximise the psychological impact,” the report said.

The commission further recalled that suspected Fulani militants attacked Holy Trinity Parish in the Kafanchan Diocese of Kaduna State in February 2026, killing three persons and abducting 11 others, including parish priest Father Nathaniel Asuwaye. The report also documented attacks on Muslim worshippers and Islamic clerics, including the kidnapping of an imam and seven worshippers from a mosque in Plateau State earlier this year.

USCIRF acknowledged that debates continue over the true drivers of the violence, noting that while some analysts attribute the crisis to environmental and economic pressures, others believe religion plays a significant role. “In fact, multiple and overlapping factors, including religion in many cases, likely spur Fulani militants to attack communities or individuals,” the report concluded.

The commission criticised Nigerian authorities for what it described as slow and inadequate responses to attacks. “Victims have long reported that security forces are consistently slow to respond to attacks on their communities,” USCIRF said. The report also revealed that renewed government actions against armed groups intensified after former US President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over religious freedom violations in October 2025.

Following the designation, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reportedly classified violent armed groups, including Fulani militants, as terrorists in December 2025.

USCIRF added that Nigerian security agencies rescued 309 hostages during operations in Kogi and Kwara states in January 2026, while 129 suspected Fulani militants were arrested and 55 killed.

The commission also highlighted growing international scrutiny surrounding the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, although the association denied supporting criminal activities. “We do not support, condone, harbour, finance or protect any form of criminality, extremism or violence,” the group said according to the report.

Despite recent military operations and peace efforts, USCIRF warned that Nigeria’s insecurity crisis remains deeply entrenched and may continue unless broader governance, security and religious freedom reforms are implemented.