The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has accused some police and army officers of colluding with Fulani militias in deadly attacks and mass abductions across Nigeria.
The commission made the allegation in a May 2026 report titled Non-state Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants.
It said the violence has deepened religious fear, worsened displacement and made it harder to track the real motives of armed groups operating in several parts of the country.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also said President Donald Trump had ordered the Pentagon to prioritise Nigerian Christians targeted by ISIS.
He added that the directive led to the killing of ISIS’ second-in-command in Nigeria.
“There’s a lot of things we do that the media pays attention to, and a lot of things that the president empowers the department to do on behalf of the American people, that he deserves great credit for,” he said.
Security And Secrecy
USCIRF said the Nigerian government’s censorship and conflicting narratives have made it difficult to identify the groups behind the violence.
It said some kidnapping victims remain missing because of ransom talks and, in some cases, possible collusion between perpetrators and some officials from the police or army.
The report also said attacks are carried out by loosely organised armed groups, with around 30,000 actors operating nationwide in the North-West, Middle Belt and parts of the South.
According to the commission, these groups often use motorcycles, automatic weapons and machetes to attack rural communities at night.
It said the goal is often to force residents off their land and into unsafe displacement camps.
Rising Death Toll
The commission said at least 1.3 million people have been driven from their homes by violence in the Middle Belt.
It also cited several attacks in 2025 and early 2026, including mass killings in Benue, Plateau, Niger and Kaduna states.
Among them, it said at least 200 people were killed in a June 2025 attack in Benue, including internally displaced persons living in a Catholic mission.
It also cited the Yelwata massacre in Benue, where more than 200 Christians were reportedly killed.
The report said attacks have also taken place during Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter to deepen the psychological impact.
Responses to the Report
The Middle Belt Forum backed the report, saying it had long suspected that people inside the security system were helping insurgents.
Its president, Bitrus Pogu, said the report fits what many communities have seen on the ground.
Afenifere also said the findings should not be dismissed, arguing that terrorism would not persist for so long without help from powerful quarters.
The group’s spokesman, Jare Ajayi, said the report should push security agencies to look inward and tackle possible sabotage.
The commission also called on the US Congress to stop lobbyists from receiving payment for work on behalf of governments blacklisted for severe religious freedom violations.
It further tied the report to U.S. policy shifts under Trump, including Nigeria’s redesignation as a Country of Particular Concern in 2025.
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