UN Warns Nigeria Heading Towards Worst Hunger Crisis on Record

News in brief:

-WFP says escalating insurgency and dwindling humanitarian funding are pushing Nigeria toward record hunger levels.

-Nearly six million people in the northeast could face crisis-level food insecurity during the 2026 lean season.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has raised an alarm that Nigeria is on the brink of its most devastating hunger crisis yet, as widespread insecurity forces millions into desperation.

The latest Cadre Harmonisé food security assessment projects that nearly 35 million Nigerians may face severe hunger during the 2026 lean season, the highest number ever recorded in the country.

WFP noted that attacks by armed groups have intensified throughout 2025. Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a known al-Qaeda affiliate, reportedly carried out its first attack inside Nigeria last month. Meanwhile, Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) continues efforts to expand across the Sahel region.

Recurring assaults on rural communities, killings of security officers, and abductions from schools, where teachers and schoolgirls remain missing, are worsening the humanitarian crisis.

“Communities are under severe pressure from repeated attacks and economic stress,” David Stevenson, WFP Country Director in Nigeria, stated.

Children Face Catastrophic Hunger

The agency reports that the northeast is suffering its worst hunger situation in a decade, with rural farmers the hardest hit. Six million people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are projected to be in crisis or worse in 2026.

Meanwhile, 15,000 people in Borno are expected to face catastrophic hunger with famine-like conditions. Malnutrition rates remain highest in Borno, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara. Children are at heightened risk as access to food and healthcare shrinks under conflict pressure.

Funding Shortfalls Threaten Aid Delivery

The humanitarian organisation warns that funding gaps are rapidly shrinking its ability to respond. For example, nearly 1 million people in the northeast rely on its food and nutrition assistance. However, it had scaled back nutrition programmes in July. Over 300,000 children were affected as support clinics shut down, and malnutrition levels have shifted from 'serious' to 'critical'.

As needs soar, WFP says its emergency food programmes will run out of resources by December 2025.

“If we can’t keep families fed… desperation could fuel increased instability,” Stevenson cautioned, adding that hunger is being exploited by insurgent groups to gain influence.

The agency is calling for urgent international support to prevent a humanitarian and security catastrophe that could spill across West Africa.