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Abuja, FCT – By Prime Brief Media

A damning new report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has revealed that an estimated 30,000 armed Fulani militants are operating across Nigeria, acting as some of the deadliest non-state actors behind religious freedom violations in the country. The report, titled "Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants" and released in May 2026, states that attacks by these groups have caused the highest number of deaths among all religious communities in Nigeria over the last year, surpassing even organised insurgent groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP.

According to the USCIRF, the militants operate in groups ranging from as few as 10 to as many as 1,000 members, and while they lack centralised leadership, some factions collaborate with criminal gangs and recognised terrorist organisations. "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 recognised terrorist organisations that espouse a violent interpretation of Islam," the report stated.

The commission documented that militants frequently attack isolated rural communities at night using motorcycles, automatic weapons, and machetes, deliberately timing some attacks to coincide with Christian religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter to maximise psychological impact. "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. In one particularly devastating attack in Benue State in June 2025, at least 200 people, including internally displaced persons living in a Catholic mission, were killed.

The report also detailed Palm Sunday and Easter attacks in April 2026 that left dozens dead in Plateau, Kaduna, and Benue states. "On Easter Sunday, Fulani militants reportedly killed five worshippers at two churches in Kaduna State while abducting 31 others," USCIRF stated. Attacks on Muslim communities were also documented, including the kidnapping of an imam and seven worshippers from a mosque in Plateau State in February 2026, with kidnappers demanding a ₦16 million ransom.

USCIRF noted that attacks by Fulani militants and other armed groups have displaced at least 1.3 million people in the Middle Belt, forcing many into overcrowded camps lacking adequate sanitation and security. The report was sharply critical of Nigerian authorities, stating that "victims have long reported that security forces are consistently slow to respond to attacks on their communities." Some Christian advocates went further, accusing security agencies of showing favouritism toward Muslim communities during investigations and security operations.

The report highlighted that the violence has drawn significant attention from the United States government. In October 2025, President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over religious freedom violations. Following the designation, President Bola Tinubu classified kidnappers and violent armed groups, including Fulani militants, as "terrorists" in December 2025. The Nigerian government subsequently reported that security agencies rescued 309 hostages in January 2026 during operations in Kogi and Kwara states, arresting 129 suspected Fulani militants and killing 55 others.

Significantly, the USCIRF report revealed that the US Congress introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 in February, proposing sanctions against the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria over allegations of involvement in severe religious freedom violations. MACBAN has consistently denied supporting criminal activity, telling the commission: "We do not support, condone, harbour, finance, or protect any form of criminality, extremism or violence."

On the question of motivation, USCIRF acknowledged conflicting narratives, stating that "multiple and overlapping factors, including religion in many cases, likely spur Fulani militants to attack communities or individuals." The commission noted that while some observers point to environmental and economic factors as the driving force, others argue the violence constitutes "a concerted campaign of outright genocide against non-Muslims, especially Christians."

The report concluded with a grim assessment: "Central Nigeria remains entrenched in an intense, daily, and seemingly perpetual crisis of insecurity," warning 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."

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