Riley Moore,a United States Congressman, has alleged that armed Fulani militants killed more Nigerians than Boko Haram and ISIS over the past year, citing a new report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that describes the groups as among the deadliest non-state actors responsible for religious freedom violations in Nigeria.
Moore made the assertion on Saturday while reacting to the USCIRF report titled Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants, released in May 2026. The report estimates that about 30,000 armed Fulani militants are operating across Nigeria in groups ranging from 10 to 1,000 members and warns that their activities have become a major driver of violence, displacement and religious persecution in several parts of the country.
According to the commission, the ethic mihave emerged as some of the most lethal non-state actors in Nigeria, particularly in the Middle Belt and northern regions, where attacks on farming communities have resulted in thousands of deaths and widespread destruction of property.
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Reacting to the report, Moore said its findings reinforced concerns he and others had previously raised with President Donald Trump regarding the scale of violence allegedly perpetrated by the groups and its impact on Christian communities.
