By Obinna Uballa
The United Nations has warned that northern Nigeria is heading toward an unprecedented hunger emergency, with renewed terrorist attacks deepening food shortages across the region.
In a statement on Tuesday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said nearly 35 million people across northern Nigeria could face severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season, which runs from May to September. The agency said the combination of escalating violence, economic hardship, and dwindling humanitarian funding is pushing many communities to the brink.
Borno State, the heart of the country’s 16-year conflict with Boko Haram, faces the gravest threat. The WFP estimates that about 15,000 people in the state may slip into “catastrophic hunger” – conditions the UN describes as akin to famine.
The protracted insurgency in the northeast has already killed more than 40,000 people and displaced two million, with violence spilling into parts of Chad, Niger, and Cameroon. But insecurity is no longer confined to jihadist violence alone. Armed groups widely known as bandits continue to launch deadly raids and mass abductions across the northwest and north-central states.
Only last week, Nigeria witnessed three major kidnappings. Over 300 students and teachers were taken from a Catholic school in Niger State, 25 female students were abducted in Kebbi State, and 38 worshippers were seized during a live-streamed church service in Kwara State.
Although insurgency-related violence had declined after peaking in 2015, attacks have increased sharply this year. The WFP said the worsening insecurity is happening at a time when high inflation and economic instability have made food increasingly unaffordable for millions. Rural communities, who normally depend on food reserves or market purchases during the lean season, are now largely unable to cope.
Compounding the crisis is a steep drop in global humanitarian funding. With the United States – the WFP’s largest donor – cutting foreign aid under President Donald Trump, and several European countries reducing their contributions, the agency has struggled to sustain its operations in Nigeria.
Nearly one million people in the northeast rely on WFP assistance, yet funding shortfalls forced the agency to scale back programmes this year. Out of 500 WFP-supported nutrition centres, 150 were closed at the end of July, putting more than 300,000 children at heightened risk of malnutrition. The WFP says nutrition levels have deteriorated from “serious” to “critical” in recent months.
The situation has been further complicated by a rise in jihadist activity, including the first attack in Nigeria claimed recently by the al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM).
“Communities are under severe pressure from repeated attacks and economic stress,” said David Stevenson, WFP’s representative in Nigeria. “Families are being pushed closer to the edge, and the need for support is rising.”
Nigeria is currently grappling with a deep economic crisis, exacerbated by President Bola Tinubu’s market-driven reforms, which have triggered soaring prices of food, fuel, and basic commodities. As insecurity widens and households struggle to survive, aid agencies warn that the country could face one of the worst hunger crises in its recent history unless urgent support is mobilised.
