Insurgent Attacks Push Nigeria’s Hunger Figures to Record Levels — WFP

Ruth Tene Natsa 

November 26, 2025

300,000 malnourished children in northeast Nigeria face hunger amid aid cuts – WFP

Nigeria is facing the highest hunger levels ever recorded in the country, with nearly 35 million people projected to experience severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season, according to new data released by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

The warning follows the latest Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis, which shows a sharp rise in hunger driven by escalating insurgent attacks and growing instability across northern Nigeria.

WFP said violence from armed groups has intensified throughout 2025, worsening displacement and disrupting farming and food supply systems.

The agency noted that Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, carried out its first attack in Nigeria last month, while Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) continues expanding across the Sahel.

Recent incidents include the killing of a brigadier general in the northeast and attacks on public schools in the north, where several teachers and hundreds of schoolgirls remain missing.

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

The data shows northern Nigeria is experiencing its most severe hunger crisis in a decade. Nearly six million people in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states are projected to face crisis-level hunger or worse next year, with about 15,000 people in Borno State expected to face catastrophic, famine-like conditions. Children remain at highest risk in Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara, where acute malnutrition rates have surged.

The situation has been worsened by significant funding shortfalls. In the northeast, where nearly one million people rely on WFP assistance, the organisation was forced to cut nutrition programmes in July, affecting more than 300,000 children. In areas where clinics closed, malnutrition levels worsened from “serious” to “critical” in the third quarter of 2025.

Despite increasing needs, WFP says it will run out of resources for emergency food and nutrition assistance in December, leaving millions at risk in 2026 unless urgent funding arrives.

WFP warned that without immediate intervention, Nigeria’s hunger crisis could further destabilise the region, creating conditions that armed groups may exploit.

The agency is urging international donors to step up support to prevent a deepening emergency with far-reaching security implications across West Africa.