U.S. Commission Warns Of 30,000 ‘Fulani Militants’ Operating Across Nigeria

A United States government commission has revealed that at least 1.3m people have been displaced across the Middle Belt following attacks by Fulani militants and other armed groups, with victims forced into overcrowded camps lacking adequate security and sanitation.

The disclosure is contained in a report released in May 2026 by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, titled “Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants,” which described the armed groups as among the deadliest non-state actors responsible for widespread violence across the Middle Belt and parts of southern Nigeria.

The commission estimated that around 30,000 armed Fulani militants are currently operating across Nigeria, conducting coordinated assaults that have led to thousands of deaths, mass displacement and heightened religious tensions, with the militants operating in clusters ranging from 10 to 1,000 fighters.

The report documented that militants frequently attacked isolated rural communities at night using motorcycles, automatic weapons, and machetes, with assaults deliberately designed to force residents from their homes and enable greater control of disputed land.

Among the specific incidents highlighted in the report was the Yelwata massacre in Benue State, where more than 200 Christians, described as “mostly sleeping women and children,” were killed and over 3,000 others displaced.

The commission said militants deliberately timed some attacks to coincide with Christian religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter to maximise psychological impact.

In February 2026, suspected militants killed at least 32 people in Niger State, while attackers invaded Holy Trinity Parish in the Kafanchan Diocese of Kaduna State, killing three people and abducting 11 others including parish priest Father Nathaniel Asuwaye.

During the same period, armed men kidnapped an imam and seven worshippers from a mosque in Plateau State, demanding a ransom of N16m.

In February 2026, the U.S. Congress introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, which included the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria as an entity on which the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury should impose targeted sanctions for its alleged role in perpetrating severe religious freedom violations.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has again urged the U.S. State Department to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over what it described as severe violations of religious freedom. The commission noted that it has consistently made the recommendation since 2009.

In its latest report, USCIRF said the Nigerian government has continued to fail in curbing deadly attacks targeting Christians, Muslims, and traditional worshippers, particularly in the Middle Belt and the North-East regions of the country.