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The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has said that conflict and shrinking humanitarian funding have pushed northern Nigeria into its worst hunger crisis in almost a decade, with more than 17 million people now facing acute food insecurity across nine conflict-affected states.
In a statement on Thursday, the UN agency said the latest Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis showed that the number of people experiencing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger had increased by nearly two million since the last assessment.
The WFP said the situation is particularly dire in Borno State, where renewed insurgent attacks and reduced food assistance have left more than three million people acutely food insecure.
Of that number, more than 750,000 people are facing severe hunger, while over 10,000 people have reached catastrophic hunger levels.
The agency warned that although those experiencing catastrophic hunger account for a small proportion of the affected population, the figures signal a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation driven by conflict, displacement and declining aid.
“What concerns us most is how this crisis is expanding,” said WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Kinday Samba.
“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.”
According to the WFP, worsening insecurity has significantly hampered relief operations, with the number of inaccessible locations for humanitarian workers doubling in recent months.
The agency said an additional 15 areas have become partially inaccessible, while attacks on major transport routes and illegal checkpoints are disrupting the movement of humanitarian supplies. In many locations, it noted, air transport has become the only viable means of delivering aid.
The humanitarian agency also blamed severe funding shortfalls for the worsening crisis, saying it is now able to reach only a fraction of those requiring assistance.
It said while 6.2 million people across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are currently food insecure, WFP can support only about 740,000 people, leaving 5.5 million, mostly women and children, without lifesaving food and nutrition assistance.
The figure represents a sharp decline from the 1.3 million people the agency supported during the 2025 lean season.
WFP warned that the suspension of food assistance in some camps is forcing vulnerable families into desperate coping mechanisms, including joining armed groups in search of food or income.
The agency also reported a disturbing increase in exploitation and gender-based violence, particularly affecting women and children, following the reduction of humanitarian support.
“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.
The latest Cadre Harmonisé assessment also showed that food insecurity has worsened nationwide, with 36.2 million Nigerians now projected to face hunger.
To prevent the crisis from deepening further, WFP said it urgently requires 89 million dollars over the next six months to sustain food and nutrition assistance and critical logistics operations across northern Nigeria.
The agency warned that without immediate funding, more nutrition programmes could be scaled back, additional clinics may close, and the humanitarian situation could deteriorate further, increasing displacement and insecurity across the region.
