The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has stated that violent attacks linked to Fulani militants in Nigeria are driven by a combination of factors and cannot be attributed solely to religion.
In its May 2026 report titled Non-state Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants, the commission noted that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of the violence. While Christian communities have frequently been targeted, Muslim communities have also experienced killings, kidnappings, cattle raids, and attacks on places of worship.
The report examined the activities of Fulani militant groups and their impact on religious freedom in Nigeria. It observed that armed actors of Fulani ethnic origin have carried out some of the deadliest attacks on religious communities, often—but not exclusively—against Christians.
According to USCIRF, Fulani militants have attacked Christian communities in the Middle Belt and increasingly in southern Nigeria, destroying homes and churches while carrying out kidnappings, rape, and killings. At the same time, non-Fulani Muslim communities have also suffered violent assaults.
The commission described Fulani militant violence as one of the most significant sources of insecurity affecting religious communities in Nigeria, noting that such attacks accounted for more deaths in the past year than those carried out by insurgent groups or criminal gangs.
The report further revealed that attacks and land invasions have displaced at least 1.3 million people in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, forcing many into overcrowded and unsafe displacement camps.
USCIRF also noted that some attacks were deliberately carried out during major Christian celebrations such as Christmas and Easter, apparently to heighten fear and disrupt worship activities.
Citing incidents across Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Niger, and Zamfara states, the report documented killings, kidnappings, and attacks on churches, mosques, and rural communities.
However, the commission cautioned against viewing the violence purely through a religious lens. It highlighted factors such as land disputes, environmental pressures, economic hardship, and criminal activity as contributing causes of the conflict.
The report acknowledged differing interpretations of the crisis, with some observers describing it as a targeted campaign against Christians, while others point to competition over resources and broader socio-economic challenges.
USCIRF concluded that regardless of the motivations behind the attacks, the consequences remain devastating. The violence has disrupted livelihoods, restricted freedom of worship, displaced large populations, and deepened insecurity across affected communities.
Despite ongoing security operations and cooperation between Nigeria and the United States, the commission said violent attacks, kidnappings, and invasions of farming communities continue to leave parts of central Nigeria facing a persistent and severe security crisis.
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