Fulani Militants Wage Systematic Kidnapping Campaign Against Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt
ABUJA, Nigeria — A disturbing pattern of targeted kidnappings against Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt has emerged, with Fulani militants allegedly orchestrating a calculated campaign to destabilize and economically cripple Christian communities. Experts and human rights organizations warn that these abductions are not random acts of violence but a deliberate strategy to fund terrorism while bankrupting victims and their families.
According to Steven Kerfas, lead researcher for the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA), the kidnappings serve dual purposes. “Kidnapping for ransom is a strategic aim of the Fulani militants,” Kerfas told Fox News Digital. “They do it to fund their terrorism, but also to bankrupt the Christian community.” In many cases, entire groups of Christians—sometimes numbering up to 100—are forcibly taken into forests and held for months, with families pressured to pay exorbitant ransoms they cannot afford. “They survive through subsistence agriculture. Now you force them to sell the farmland that they are surviving on to pay ransom. So by the time you release them, what do they go back to? Nothing.”
One Nigerian church reportedly paid a staggering $205,000 ransom to secure the release of 50 kidnapped members, underscoring the financial toll this epidemic is taking on religious communities. The kidnappings have become so prevalent that Open Doors UK, a global Christian charity, reports that 4,407 Christians were abducted in Nigeria’s north-central region between 2020 and 2025. When adjusted for population size, Christians are 2.4 times more likely than Muslims to be kidnapped in this region, highlighting the disproportionate targeting.
Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK, described the kidnappings as a “horrific dilemma” for Christian families. “Tactics by kidnappers include raids on churches and schools… priests and pastors are singled out because they represent high-value targets. Families and friends are often forced to sell land, livestock and property to meet the kidnappers’ demands, and it can bankrupt families for generations.” She added that families face agonizing choices: to pay ransoms in the hope of saving lives, knowing that doing so may perpetuate the cycle of violence, or to refuse payment and risk the lives of their loved ones.
The Nigerian government has struggled to contain the violence, which experts say is part of a broader economic jihad waged by Fulani militants against Christian populations. The militants’ tactics not only inflict immediate harm through abductions but also undermine the long-term viability of Christian farming communities by stripping them of their land and resources.
This crisis has drawn international concern. The U.S. Department of State’s 2025 Report on International Religious Freedom highlights the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria, emphasizing the urgent need for protective measures. Additionally, organizations like the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom have called for increased diplomatic pressure and support for victims.
Local and international actors continue to seek solutions, but the complexity of the conflict—rooted in ethnic, religious, and economic tensions—poses significant challenges. The Nigerian military and law enforcement agencies have intensified operations against militant groups, yet the kidnappings persist, underscoring the need for a comprehensive approach that addresses security, justice, and community resilience.
As the crisis unfolds, the plight of Nigeria’s Christian communities remains a stark reminder of the human cost of religious and ethnic violence. The international community watches closely, hoping for a resolution that restores peace and security to the beleaguered Middle Belt region.
For further information on religious freedom and human rights efforts, visit the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the U.S. Agency for International Development websites.
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