A new report revealed that Fulani militants and allied "bandit" groups have killed more civilians in Nigeria over a four-year period than Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) combined.
According to the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA), from October 2019 to September 2023, Fulani bandits were responsible for the deaths of 12,039 civilians, and Fulani herdsmen killed 11,948 people.
In comparison, Boko Haram and ISWAP accounted for 3,079 civilian deaths during the same period.
The report highlighted that the Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM) plays a significant role in the violence, particularly targeting Christians.
Of the 30,880 civilians killed in the past four years, 16,769 were Christians. By contrast, 6,235 Muslims were also killed during this time.
Abductions have similarly spiked, with 21,532 civilians abducted. Of these, 11,185 were Christians, compared to 7,899 Muslims.
The report stresses that the violence disproportionately affects Christians, with a 6.5 to 1 ratio of Christians to Muslims killed.
The most violent areas are Nigeria's North West and North Central regions, where attacks by Fulani herdsmen and other terrorist groups are most common.
The violence has forced the government to focus on areas far from where the worst attacks are occurring, leaving communities vulnerable.
RevYusufu Turaki, former vice president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, told The Christian Post that the Fulani herdsmen's ultimate goal is to destroy Christianity in Nigeria, seize land, and impose Islamic law.
He also criticised the government’s failure to effectively challenge the killings and abductions.