WFP: Spreading Conflict Drives Record Hunger in Northern Nigeria

Northern Nigeria is facing a severe hunger crisis, with levels not seen in a decade, as conflict intensifies and aid diminishes. The UN's World Food Program (WFP) warns that over three million people are "acutely food insecure" amid a widening extremist insurgency and the spread of violence from armed "bandit" gangs.

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What concerns us most is how this crisis is expanding.

The crisis is particularly acute in the northeast, the epicenter of the militants' conflict, where over three million people face food insecurity, including 10,000 in "catastrophic hunger." However, the violence is expanding into the northwest, compounding existing crises and forcing people from their farmland. This displacement and restricted humanitarian access are key concerns for the WFP.

Compounding the food insecurity are aid cuts from Western countries and rising poverty under President Bola Tinubu's economic reforms, which have driven punishing inflation. The WFP's operational capacity is shrinking due to "extreme funding shortfalls," projecting it will assist just over half the 1.3 million people it reached during the 2025 "lean season." The number of inaccessible locations for WFP staff has doubled, highlighting the growing danger in rural areas outside government control.

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The number of inaccessible locations has doubled: a further 15 areas are now considered partially inaccessible for WFP's frontline staff.

Across northern Nigeria, more than 17 million people are experiencing "crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of hunger." The WFP states that the country's food security crisis is worsening faster than anticipated, with conflict being the primary driver in some northern states.

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Nigeria's food security crisis is worsening faster than previously anticipated.