US report estimates 30,000 armed Fulani militants operating across Nigeria

An estimated 30,000 armed Fulani militants are operating across Nigeria in groups ranging from 10 to 1,000 members, according to a May 2026 report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

 

The report, titled “Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants,” said armed groups linked to Fulani ethnic backgrounds have become major drivers of insecurity and religious freedom violations, particularly across the Middle Belt and Southern Nigeria.

 

According to the commission, the violence has led to deaths, displacement and heightened tensions among religious communities.

 

“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.

 

USCIRF noted that while many attacks targeted Christian communities, Muslim populations had also suffered killings, kidnappings and raids.

 

The commission said the groups do not operate under a central leadership structure but sometimes collaborate with criminal gangs and extremist organisations.

 

“These actors operate in a variety of contexts and with a multiplicity of likely aims and motivations,” the report stated.

 

“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.”

 

The report said attackers frequently target rural communities at night using motorcycles, machetes and automatic weapons.

 

“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,” USCIRF said.

 

The commission estimated that violence by Fulani militants and other armed groups has displaced at least 1.3 million people across the Middle Belt.

 

USCIRF cited multiple incidents from 2025 and early 2026, including attacks in Benue, Plateau, Niger and Kaduna states.

 

It referenced an attack in Benue State in June 2025 that reportedly killed at least 200 people, including displaced persons living in a Catholic mission.

 

The report also cited the Yelwata attack in Benue, where more than 200 Christians were reportedly killed and over 3,000 displaced.

 

According to USCIRF, some attacks were deliberately timed around Christian religious celebrations.

 

“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 also documented attacks affecting Muslim communities, including the February 2026 abduction of an imam and seven worshippers from a mosque in Plateau State.

 

USCIRF said insecurity has persisted despite government interventions.

 

“Victims have long reported that security forces are consistently slow to respond to attacks on their communities,” the report stated.

 

The commission also highlighted efforts by some state governments to establish ranching systems to reduce farmer-herder clashes.

 

It noted that President Bola Tinubu, in December 2025, classified kidnappers and violent armed groups, including Fulani militants, as terrorists.

 

USCIRF further referenced security operations in January 2026 which reportedly led to the rescue of 309 hostages in Kogi and Kwara states and the arrest of 129 suspected militants.

 

The report added that insecurity in central Nigeria remains widespread despite recent interventions.

 

“As a result, central Nigeria remains entrenched in an intense, daily, and seemingly perpetual crisis of insecurity,” the commission concluded.