International Christian Concern (ICC) reported a spike in brutal killings in 2018 in the country's Middle Belt region, with the heaviest attacks taking place in Plateau State.
According to a report by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), approximately 1,930 deaths were attributed to Fulani militants in 2018 alone, nearly six times the death toll caused by terrorist group Boko Haram.
The Global Terrorism Index reported: "At its core, the herder-farmer violence occurring in Nigeria revolves around the economic plight resulting from the worsening drought and land degradation in Nigeria's northern regions.
"The livelihood of Nigeria's Fulani population is threatened as desertification of their land pushes them south."
However, the ICC said in a statement this "does not account for the dozens of villages that were completely razed and the more than 30 churches that were destroyed in Plateau State alone".
The Christian charity has called on the Nigerian government to do more to stem the violence.
They added: "Despite these violent attacks, there have been no major attempts by the Nigerian government to hold the Fulani accountable or disarm them.
"Both of these steps must happen if this violence is to be stopped. The Middle Belt conflict should be a cause of great concern for President Buhari and all interested in Nigeria's growth and stability."
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