The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) estimates that about 30,000 armed Fulani militants are active across Nigeria, warning that their activities have intensified killings, displacement and insecurity, particularly in the Middle Belt.
In a May 2026 report titled Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants, the commission said the groups operate in loosely organised cells of about 10 to 1,000 fighters.
USCIRF described them as among Nigeria’s deadliest non-state actors, alleging they caused more religiously linked deaths in the past year than insurgent or criminal groups.
The report said both Christians and Muslims have been targeted, though many attacks occurred in Christian farming communities in central Nigeria.
It said the groups lack central leadership but sometimes coordinate with bandits and other armed actors driven by profit or ideology.
Attacks often target rural communities at night, with assailants arriving on motorcycles and using firearms 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 stated.
USCIRF estimated that about 1.3 million people have been displaced across the Middle Belt.
The report cited major incidents in 2025 and early 2026, including a June 2025 attack in Benue State in which about 200 people, including displaced persons in a Catholic mission, were killed.
It also referenced the Yelwata massacre in Benue, where over 200 Christians were killed and more than 3,000 displaced.
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Some attacks were reportedly timed around Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter to intensify psychological impact.
In February 2026, suspected militants killed at least 32 people in Niger State and attacked Holy Trinity Parish in Kaduna State, killing three and abducting 11, including a priest.
The report also documented the abduction of an imam and seven worshippers from a mosque in Plateau State, with a ransom demand of N16 million.
During Easter 2026, renewed attacks in Plateau, Kaduna and Benue left dozens dead, including five worshippers killed in Kaduna and 31 abducted.
USCIRF said the violence stems from overlapping factors, including land disputes, economic pressures and religious tensions.
It criticised authorities for slow response to attacks and noted allegations of bias in some operations, though disputed.
The commission referenced a June 2025 initiative by 11 state governors to establish ranching settlements to reduce herder-farmer clashes.
At federal level, it linked renewed action to the October 2025 US designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, after which President Bola Tinubu reportedly declared armed groups, including Fulani militants, as terrorists in December 2025.
Security operations in January 2026 reportedly rescued 309 hostages, arrested 129 suspects and killed 55 others in Kogi and Kwara states.
The report also noted scrutiny of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, which denied involvement in violence.
Despite these measures, USCIRF said insecurity across central Nigeria remains widespread and persistent.