The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF, has disclosed that no fewer than 30,000 armed Fulani militants are currently operating across Nigeria.

The USCIRF’s report titled “Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants,” said armed Fulani militants are the ones worsening insecurity and religious freedom violations in several parts of the country.

The report, which was released in May 2026, described the armed groups as some of the deadliest non-state actors responsible for violent attacks across the Middle Belt and Southern Nigeria.

The USCIRF stated that the militants operate in clusters ranging from 10 to 1,000 fighters, carrying out coordinated assaults that have led to thousands of deaths, mass displacement and heightened religious tensions.

According to the Commission, attacks linked to Fulani militants accounted for the highest number of deaths among religious communities in Nigeria in the past year, surpassing casualties attributed to organised insurgent groups and criminal gangs.

It pointed out that although many attacks targeted Christian communities, Muslim communities had also suffered killings, kidnappings and raids.

“Violence by Fulani militants caused the highest number of deaths among all religious communities in Nigeria over the last year compared to attacks by organised insurgent groups and criminal gangs,” it said.

The commission noted that while the groups lacked a central leadership structure, some factions occasionally collaborated with bandit networks and extremist 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 actors, from conventional bandit gangs seeking financial enrichment to recognised terrorist organisations that espouse violent interpretations of Islam,” it added.