UN Warns 17 Million Face Severe Hunger in Northern Nigeria

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that worsening insecurity and declining humanitarian funding are driving northern Nigeria into its worst hunger crisis in nearly a decade, leaving more than 17 million people facing severe food insecurity.

According to a statement released by the UN agency, escalating violence across nine conflict-affected northern states has displaced thousands of people, disrupted farming activities, restricted humanitarian access, and cut millions off from food assistance.

A recent Cadre Harmonisé food security assessment found that over 17 million people are now experiencing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of hunger—an increase of nearly two million compared to previous estimates.

Borno State remains the hardest-hit area, with more than three million people suffering acute food insecurity. Of those, over 750,000 are facing severe hunger, while more than 10,000 people are experiencing catastrophic hunger conditions.

WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Kinday Samba, said insecurity is spreading beyond the northeast, forcing families off their farmlands and making it increasingly difficult for humanitarian agencies to reach vulnerable communities.

The agency also reported that worsening insecurity and funding shortages have significantly reduced its operations. It currently has enough resources to assist only 740,000 people out of the 6.2 million in need across the three northeastern states, leaving about 5.5 million people without life-saving food and nutrition support.

WFP warned that the suspension of food assistance is forcing many households to adopt desperate coping strategies, with reports indicating that some people are joining armed groups in search of food or income. The agency also raised concerns over increased exploitation and gender-based violence affecting women and children in displacement camps.

To sustain emergency food assistance and humanitarian logistics across northern Nigeria, WFP said it urgently requires $89 million over the next six months. It warned that without immediate international support, hunger, displacement, and instability are likely to worsen.

The latest Cadre Harmonisé update also estimates that 36.2 million people across Nigeria are currently facing food insecurity, highlighting the growing scale of the country's humanitarian crisis.

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