Insecurity: Northern Nigeria faces worst hunger crisis in nearly a decade – UN

Northern Nigeria is facing a food security crisis that is worsening faster than previously anticipated, as conflict and shrinking aid drive hunger to levels not seen in almost a decade, the United Nations World Food Programme warned on Thursday.

The agency stated that a recently completed Cadre Harmonisé analysis showed that more than 17 million people across nine conflict-affected states, especially in the northeast, are experiencing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of hunger, an increase of almost two million since the last projections.

According to the UN agency, in Borno state, where insurgent attacks have become increasingly frequent and food assistance has been cut, more than three million people are acutely food insecure. Of these, more than 750,000 people are in severe hunger conditions, and over 10,000 people are facing catastrophic hunger.

While those in catastrophic hunger represent a small share of Borno’s overall food-insecure population, the UN agency noted that it provides 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. 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”, Kinday Samba, WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa, said.

It added that the humanitarian and food security situation has been compounded by ongoing access issues and extreme funding shortfalls that are making it increasingly difficult for WFP to reach vulnerable populations.

According to WFP, the number of inaccessible locations has doubled: a further 15 areas are now considered partially inaccessible for WFP’s frontline staff.

Meanwhile, funding shortfalls mean that humanitarian assistance is shrinking. The agency stated that while the number of people food insecure in three northeast states has increased to 6.2 million, WFP is only able to support 740,000 of those, leaving 5.5 million people, particularly children, without lifesaving food and nutrition assistance.

“This is a significant drop from the 1.3 million people WFP was able to support at the height of the 2025 lean season. WFP is deeply concerned that the suspension of food assistance is driving people towards desperate coping strategies. Communities have reported cases of individuals joining armed groups in search of food or income, underlining the risks created when hunger deepens, and people run out of options”, the agency stated.

It further warned that the suspension of food assistance in some camps due to the funding shortfalls has triggered a deeply alarming escalation in exploitation and gender-based harm that is particularly impacting 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 disclosed that it requires $89 million over the next six months to continue food and nutrition assistance and essential logistics support across northern Nigeria before hunger deepens further, more people are displaced and instability spreads across the region.