Bukola Afeni
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that conflict and shrinking humanitarian assistance have pushed hunger across northern Nigeria to its worst levels in nearly a decade, with more than 17 million people facing crisis, emergency or catastrophic food insecurity.
According to the recently completed Cadre Harmonisé analysis, more than 17 million people across nine conflict-affected states in northern Nigeria are experiencing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger, representing an increase of almost two million people from the last projections.
In Borno State, where insurgent attacks have become increasingly frequent and food assistance has been cut, the analysis shows that more than three million people are acutely food insecure.
Of these, more than 750,000 people are in severe hunger conditions, while over 10,000 people are facing catastrophic hunger.
While those in catastrophic hunger represent a small share of Borno’s overall food insecure population, WFP said the figures provide a stark warning that conflict, displacement and shrinking humanitarian assistance are pushing the crisis into more dangerous territory.
“What concerns us most is how this crisis is expanding,” said Kinday Samba, WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
“For years, insurgent attacks and violence were largely concentrated in parts of northeast Nigeria. Today, they are spreading across a much wider area and forcing people from farmland, driving displacement and restricting humanitarian access, meaning hunger is quick to follow.”
The agency said the humanitarian and food security situation has been compounded by ongoing access issues and extreme funding shortfalls, making it increasingly difficult to reach vulnerable populations.
According to WFP, the number of inaccessible locations has doubled, with a further 15 areas now considered partially inaccessible for its frontline staff.
It added that cargo movements along major routes are increasingly disrupted by attacks and illegal checkpoints, affecting the movement of humanitarian supplies, while airlift services remain the only source of transportation in many locations.
The agency also disclosed that funding shortfalls have significantly reduced humanitarian assistance.
Although the number of food insecure people in the three northeast states has increased to 6.2 million, WFP said it is only able to support 740,000 people, leaving 5.5 million people, particularly children, without lifesaving food and nutrition assistance.
The figure marks a significant decline from the 1.3 million people the organisation supported at the height of the 2025 lean season.
WFP expressed concern that the suspension of food assistance is forcing people to adopt desperate coping strategies, with communities reporting cases of individuals joining armed groups in search of food or income.
The agency further warned that the suspension of food assistance in some camps due to funding shortfalls has triggered a deeply alarming escalation in exploitation and gender-based harm, particularly affecting women and children.
“When people lose access to food, the risks of displacement, exploitation and instability increase. Yet resources are at their lowest at the time they are needed most,” Samba said.
WFP said it requires 89 million U.S. dollars over the next six months to continue food and nutrition assistance as well as essential logistics support across northern Nigeria before hunger deepens further, more people are displaced and instability spreads across the region.
