By Ebere Inyama
AKURE, Ondo State, Nigeria–Following the May 2026 report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the national President of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Baba Othman Ngelzarma, has released a statement denying the involvement of Fulanis in the mass abductions and terrorism activities ravaging some parts of Nigeria.
“The estimated 30,000 active militants and bandits cited in the USCRIF report do not, and will never, represent the 14.5 million peaceful Fulani citizens of this country,” Ngelzarma wrote in the statement.
“Law-abiding pastoralists are themselves primary victims of these criminal syndicates, routinely suffering from cattle rustling, mass abductions, and retaliatory violence”, the statement added.
In the report captioned “Non-state violators of religious freedom in Nigeria”, published in May, 2026, USCIRF, an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress, stated that violence by Fulani militants caused the highest number of deaths among all religious communities in Nigeria over the last year, adding that about 30,000 militias from the Fulani tribe are migrating down through the Middle Belt, and becoming increasingly active in the South.
USCIRF’s report refers specifically to armed Fulani militant networks, not the Fulani ethnic group as a whole.
Statement in defense or damage control?
Ngelzarma’s response to USCIRF’s report comes a few years after the spokesperson of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Saleh Alhassan, told Punch that “some of Fulani herders in the northern part of Nigeria who were displaced by Boko Haram and other bandits are migrating to the hinterlands and the Southern part of the country where they now engage in banditry.”
Earlier in January 2021, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, revealed during a meeting in Abuja with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association (MACBAN) that members of the Fulani tribe have been arrested in connection to kidnappings happening in some parts of Nigeria.
“We are not saying Fulani are not part of the kidnappings as mentioned by the Secretary of Miyetti Allah”, Abubakar had said at the meeting.
“Seven to eight kidnappers arrested are Fulani, but that doesn’t mean every Fulani is a criminal,” Abubakar added.
Both MACBAN and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore are advocacy groups representing the interests of Fulani pastoralists in Nigeria. While MACBAN is older and primarily focuses on herding welfare, Kautal Hore operates as a more radical, politically active splinter faction.
Violence trailed Influx of Fulani militia to Southwest Nigeria
Though less frequent than in the Middle Belt, several prominent, highly publicized attacks have resulted in mass casualties within the Southwest zone.
In June 2022, an attack by suspected Fulani militants on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, killed at least 50 worshippers. Authorities blamed ISWAP, though the group denied responsibility and no conclusive evidence was made public.
Earlier in June 2021, suspected armed herders invaded the Igangan community in the Ibarapa zone of Oyo State, killing at least 11 to 20 residents and burning major properties.
In a book presented at the 5th Institute of Security Studies Conference on Crime and Crime Reduction, at Sandton, South Africa in August, 2014, the author, Bolaji Omitola, of the Department of Political Sciences, Osun State University, Nigeria, wrote that “the current escalation and recurrent violent attacks on various farming communities in the North central Nigeria cannot but be linked to the infiltration of the Fulani herdsmen by Fulani from neighboring countries.”
“These Fulani infiltrators who have been exposed to terrorist ideas and operations also operated as mercenaries demobilized from various conflicts in the Sahel are pushing the front of Boko Haram operations in the North central states of Nigeria”, Omitola added.
Strategic Implications
The South-West region is a major food basket in the country, accounting for between 15 to 30 percent of farm produce, according to a 2024 report by National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Furthermore, invasion of the farms in the southwest by Fulani militants puts 40% of the region’s food production at risk, according to a report by Guardian.
Beyond humanitarian risks, security threats posed by the activities of Fulani militants in southern Nigeria could adversely affect Nigeria’s oil infrastructure and major commercial transport arteries. Sustained terror attacks could threaten energy production and food supply chains.
Ebere Inyama is a conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.
