•Hungry Nigerians and Tinubu
More than 17 million people across conflict-affected states in northern Nigeria are now facing acute hunger, as escalating violence, mass displacement and shrinking humanitarian assistance push the region towards its worst food security crisis in almost a decade, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.
The agency said the latest Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis revealed that over 17 million people across nine northern states are experiencing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
The figure represents an increase of nearly two million people since the previous assessment, reports Daily Independent.
According to the WFP, the worsening situation reflects the combined effects of persistent conflict, declining humanitarian access and severe funding shortages, which are limiting lifesaving assistance to vulnerable populations.
Borno State remains the epicentre of the crisis.
The analysis found that more than three million people are acutely food insecure, with over 750,000 facing severe hunger conditions.
More than 10,000 people in the state are now experiencing catastrophic hunger, the highest level of food insecurity. Although they represent a small proportion of those affected, the agency described the figure as a serious warning of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation.
WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Mr Kinday Samba, said the organisation was increasingly concerned by the geographical spread of the crisis.
He noted that insurgent attacks, once largely confined to parts of the North-East, are now affecting wider areas, forcing farming communities from their land, increasing displacement and restricting humanitarian access.
Samba warned that hunger inevitably follows when insecurity prevents people from cultivating crops, earning incomes and receiving humanitarian support.
The agency said humanitarian operations are also facing mounting logistical challenges. It disclosed that the number of inaccessible locations has doubled, with 15 additional areas now classified as partially inaccessible to frontline humanitarian workers.
According to the WFP, attacks on major transport routes and illegal checkpoints are disrupting the movement of relief supplies, while air transport remains the only viable option for reaching some isolated communities.
Funding shortages have further compounded the crisis. While the number of food-insecure people across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states has risen to 6.2 million, WFP said it currently has resources to assist only about 740,000 people.
The agency noted that approximately 5.5 million vulnerable people, many of them children, are now without lifesaving food and nutrition support. This marks a sharp decline from the 1.3 million people assisted during the 2025 lean season.
The WFP warned that the suspension of food assistance is forcing many households into desperate survival strategies. Reports from affected communities indicate that some individuals are joining armed groups in search of food or income.
The organisation also expressed concern over increasing cases of exploitation and gender-based violence following the suspension of food distributions in some displacement camps. Women and children are said to be bearing the greatest burden.
“When people lose access to food, the risks of displacement, exploitation and instability increase. Yet resources are at their lowest when they are needed most,” Samba said.
To avert a deeper humanitarian emergency, WFP said it urgently requires 89 million dollars over the next six months to sustain food and nutrition assistance, maintain essential logistics and prevent further deterioration of food security across northern Nigeria.
The agency warned that without immediate financial support, hunger, displacement and insecurity could intensify, with far-reaching consequences for affected communities and the wider region.
