The United Nations has issued a stark warning that northern Nigeria is edging toward an unprecedented hunger emergency as renewed terrorist violence deepens already severe food shortages.
In a statement on Tuesday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said nearly 35 million people in the region are projected to face severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season from May to September. The agency said worsening insecurity, economic hardship and shrinking aid budgets are pushing communities “dangerously close to the edge.”
Borno State—epicentre of the 16-year Boko Haram conflict—faces the most alarming scenario. The WFP estimates that about 15,000 people there could slide into “catastrophic hunger,” a classification used for famine-like conditions.
More than 40,000 people have been killed and around two million displaced since the insurgency began, with violence spilling into Chad, Niger and Cameroon. But the crisis has broadened beyond jihadist attacks. Armed bandit groups have intensified raids, killings and mass abductions across the northwest and north-central states.
Last week alone, Nigeria recorded three major kidnappings: over 300 students and teachers abducted in Niger State, 25 schoolgirls taken in Kebbi State, and 38 worshippers kidnapped during a live-streamed church service in Kwara State.
Although jihadist activity had declined since 2015, attacks have surged again this year. At the same time, soaring inflation and a deepening economic crisis have made food unaffordable for millions, leaving rural households particularly vulnerable during the lean season when food reserves are low.
Adding to the strain is a severe drop in global humanitarian funding. With the United States—WFP’s largest donor—cutting foreign aid under President Donald Trump, and several European countries scaling back support, the agency has been forced to shrink its operations.
Nearly one million people in northeast Nigeria depend on WFP aid, but funding shortfalls led to the closure of 150 out of 500 nutrition centres in July, placing more than 300,000 children at heightened risk of malnutrition. The WFP says nutrition levels in affected areas have deteriorated from “serious” to “critical” this year.
The situation is further complicated by rising 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 battling a crippling economic crisis, worsened by President Bola Tinubu’s reform policies, which have led to steep increases in the cost of food, fuel and other essentials. Aid agencies warn that without urgent international support, the country could face one of its most severe hunger crises in decades.
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