The Fulani have been responsible for more Christian deaths in Nigeria than any other terrorist group, yet they claim to be the victims, alleging that some Christian communities have begun monitoring their movements with drones and, in a few cases, have fought back.
A Fulani advocacy group, Concerned Fulani in Plateau (CFP), has accused Christian militia members of using drones to surveil Fulani settlements in Plateau State, amid a continuing wave of Fulani Islamist attacks on Christian farming communities across the region.
Fulani militants have killed more Christians in Nigeria than Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) combined. They frequently raid Christian villages in large numbers using AK-47s, and there have been instances of drone use and coordinated attacks across multiple locations.
Christian villages generally have little or no security, often relying only on a handful of volunteer watchmen, called “vigilantes,” armed with homemade muskets. On the rare occasions when Christians manage to kill an attacker, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), the most prominent Fulani advocacy group, publicly portrays the herders as victims.
MACBAN has faced accusations of financing and shielding the militants responsible for attacks on Christian communities. A 2025 peer-reviewed study by researchers at Texas Southern University concluded that Fulani militants’ access to sophisticated weapons is not surprising because they are financially supported by cattle owners through MACBAN.
The U.S. Congress has introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act, which would designate MACBAN and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore as Entities of Particular Concern under the Global Magnitsky framework and subject them to U.S. sanctions over alleged ties to religiously motivated killings of Christians.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom estimated that 30,000 armed Fulani militants operate across Nigeria and noted “growing scrutiny” of MACBAN over accusations from Christian leaders that the group failed to stop militant violence and land invasions carried out by armed herders.
MACBAN has denied the allegations, saying it does not support, condone, harbor, finance, or protect any form of criminality, extremism, or violence. However, the group has faced criticism for its handling of the situation, with some accusing it of shifting the blame onto Christian militia groups.
Concerned Fulani in Plateau has accused a Berom TikTok user of filming and publishing aerial footage of the Mahanga settlement in Riyom Local Government Area, alleging that the user was working closely with some Berom Militia groups, intending to attack the communities.
CFP has called on the Plateau State government, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, and security agencies to investigate the filming, arguing that it may violate constitutional privacy protections under Section 37 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
Over the past seven months, MACBAN has repeatedly alleged that Fulani herders were attacked or killed by a “Berom Militia.” BYM denies that any such militia exists, arguing that if it did, Fulani attacks on Berom communities could not have continued at their current pace, and typically attributes the violence in these cases to Fulani militants themselves.
The Fulani have claimed that Christians are manufacturing weapons to kill Fulani. Nigerian military officials have identified illegal arms manufacturing as a central driver of the violence; however, their most detailed on-the-record account points to Fulani militias as the primary buyers rather than Berom groups.
Brigadier General Selong Sule, chief of staff of Operation Enduring Peace, told a briefing of defense correspondents in Jos that suspects arrested at illegal weapon-manufacturing sites in Plateau State had confessed to selling locally fabricated firearms to Fulani militias “because they paid more.”
Recent attacks on Christian communities in the same local government areas have continued, with armed bandits killing nine members of a single family in Kum and Wereng-Camp, Riyom LGA, and coordinated attacks on Ta-Hoss, Sabon Layi, and Kwi leaving six dead.
Data compiled by BYM shows at least 121 people killed across Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Bassa, Jos South, and Pankshin LGAs between May and July 11, 2026. The situation remains volatile, with tensions between Fulani and Christian communities showing no signs of abating.
