WFP warns of hunger crisis in Nigeria as 35 million face food shortages
According to WFP projections, around 15,000 people in Borno could face "catastrophic hunger" or "famine-like conditions" next year.
Nearly 35 million people in northern Nigeria are expected to face severe food insecurity between May and September 2026, raising fears of a hunger crisis unprecedented in the region, the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.
According to a WFP report released on Tuesday, which drew on the latest Cadre Harmonise analysis of food and nutrition security across the Sahel and West Africa, the projected figures are the highest recorded since monitoring of food insecurity began.
More To Read
- 220 students, teachers abducted from St Mary’s School in Niger state, Nigeria
- Somalia faces worsening hunger with millions needing assistance
- Smartphones, women’s rights and coupons: new trends that can boost insurance for African farmers
- IGAD calls for joint action to protect livestock, pastoral livelihoods in Horn of Africa
- Families in Sudan ‘running out of time’ as hunger spreads
- Mandera launches emergency food aid for 15,000 amid deepening drought
The report also highlights that the most acute risks are concentrated in Borno State, where ongoing insurgent attacks have devastated communities over the past 16 years.
According to WFP projections, around 15,000 people in Borno could face "catastrophic hunger" or "famine-like conditions" next year.
As it stands, children are among the hardest hit, with malnutrition already particularly high in Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara states. According to WFP data, across the largely rural farming communities of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, nearly six million people are struggling to access even basic food supplies.
"The advance of insurgency presents a serious threat to stability in the north, with consequences reaching beyond Nigeria," said David Stevenson, WFP's Nigeria country director.
"Communities are under severe pressure from repeated attacks and economic stress."
Similarly, Northern Nigeria is facing a double challenge of violence and hunger. While Boko Haram continues to attack communities in the northeast, other armed groups in the central and northwestern regions are also creating chaos.
Over the past week alone, gunmen kidnapped more than 300 children and a dozen teachers from Saint Mary's Catholic School in Niger State. In nearby Kebbi State, 25 high school girls were taken, and in Kwara State, 38 churchgoers were abducted during a service.
At the same time, the region's hunger situation is worsening because of reduced aid. In July, WFP had to cut back its nutrition programme, leaving over 300,000 children without support and pushing malnutrition from "serious" to "critical".
Following reductions in funding from major donors, including the United States, the agency could run out of emergency food and nutrition supplies by December.
Experts warn that without swift international intervention, millions of people in northern Nigeria could face life-threatening food shortages.
Top Stories Today
