The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday that growing instability across northern Nigeria, including a surge in attacks, is driving hunger to unprecedented levels. Despite soaring needs, the WFP will run out of resources for emergency food and nutrition assistance in December, leaving millions without lifesaving support.
Nearly 35 million people in Nigeria are projected to face severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season, according to a recent Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis, making this the most severe hunger crisis the country has experienced in a decade.
This represents the highest number ever recorded in Nigeria and on the African continent. The crisis is being driven by a surge in attacks and instability in the region, which is exacerbating economic stress and pushing communities to the brink. Rural farming communities are among the hardest hit.
According to the October 2025 Cadre Harmonisé analysis, an estimated 34.7 million people in 27 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are projected to face acute hunger between June and August 2026.
The analysis states that the worsening situation is driven by a combination of factors, including persistent conflict and violence in areas of high food production, economic shocks, and organized criminality that displace people and continue to erode resilience and deepen vulnerabilities.
The conflict-affected states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe in northeastern Nigeria are particularly hard hit, with nearly 6 million people projected to face crisis levels of hunger or worse during the lean season of 2026. This includes approximately 15,000 people in Borno State who are expected to experience catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5, or famine-like conditions).
Children are at greatest risk in Borno and Yobe in the northeast, as well as in Sokoto and Zamfara states in the northwest, where malnutrition rates are highest.
The crisis extends far beyond the northeast, affecting the north-central states of Benue, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau. The northwestern states of Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Kaduna are also severely impacted.
WFP warns that the situation could lead to increased instability as insurgent groups may exploit desperate families to expand their influence.
Attacks by insurgents have intensified throughout 2025. Last month, al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) carried out its first attack in Nigeria, and Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) continues to expand across the Sahel. These groups have also targeted schools and public institutions, leaving several teachers and hundreds of schoolgirls missing.
“Communities are under severe pressure from repeated attacks and economic stress,” said David Stevenson, WFP Country Director in Nigeria.
“If we can’t keep families fed and food insecurity at bay, growing desperation could fuel increased instability with insurgent groups exploiting hunger to expand their influence, creating a security threat that extends across West Africa and beyond.”
Funding shortfalls leave people without life-saving assistance
The dire situation has been exacerbated by funding shortages, which have diminished the WFP's ability to provide this assistance.
In the northeast, where nearly one million people depend on the agency's food and nutrition assistance, WFP was forced to scale down its nutrition programs in July, affecting over 300,000 children. In areas where clinics closed, malnutrition levels deteriorated from "serious" to "critical" during the third quarter of the year.
A WFP spokesperson emphasized today that women and children are once again at the greatest risk of severe malnutrition. She added that food and nutrition assistance is one of the few stabilizing forces in northern Nigeria, and resources are needed immediately to provide continued support.
Despite soaring needs, WFP will run out of resources for emergency food and nutrition assistance in December. Without urgent funding, millions will be left without vital support in 2026, which will create a greater risk of instability and further deepen a crisis that the world continues to ignore.
With nearly 35 million people facing severe food insecurity in the next six months, it is crucial that the international community take action to address this emergency. The consequences for stability, security, and human life could be severe if the situation is not addressed.
WFP requires US$115 million by May 2026, the start of the lean season. In 2025, the UN agency raised some $150 million. However, without new funding, by January, the UN agency will not be able to provide assistance to the 900,000 people it currently supports.
Surge in mass abductions in Nigeria
The crisis in northern Nigeria is not limited to food insecurity. There has also been a recent surge in mass abductions, primarily of schoolchildren in north-central Nigeria. Since November 17, at least 402 people have been abducted, and only 88 of them have been freed or escaped their captors.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has urged Nigerian authorities at all levels to take all lawful measures to stop these attacks and prosecute the perpetrators.
On Tuesday, Thameen Al-Kheetan, an OHCHR spokesperson, told reporters in Geneva that the UN human rights office was shocked by the recent surge in mass abductions in the north-central region. He called on the Nigerian authorities to ensure the safe return of all captives to their families and to prevent further abductions.