The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that Nigeria’s food security crisis is deteriorating more rapidly than previously projected, with escalating conflict and dwindling humanitarian funding pushing millions of people deeper into hunger across northern Nigeria.
In a statement on Thursday, the UN food organisation said it requires $89 million over the next six months to continue providing food and nutrition assistance, as well as critical logistics support, across northern Nigeria.
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The agency warned that without urgent funding, hunger is likely to deepen further, leading to increased displacement and greater instability across the region.
It said according to the latest Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis, more than 17 million people across nine conflict-affected northern states are currently experiencing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
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This figure, WFP said, represents an increase of nearly two million people compared to the previous assessment.
The agency said the situation is particularly severe in Borno State, where renewed insurgent attacks and reductions in humanitarian assistance have left more than three million people acutely food insecure.
Of that number, more than 750,000 people are experiencing severe hunger, while over 10,000 people have fallen into catastrophic hunger conditions—the most extreme level of food insecurity.
Although those facing catastrophic hunger account for a relatively small proportion of the state’s food-insecure population, WFP said the figures underscore the growing impact of conflict, displacement and declining humanitarian support.
“What concerns us most is how this crisis is expanding,” said Kinday Samba, WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
“For years, insurgent attacks and violence were largely concentrated in parts of northeast Nigeria. Today, they are spreading across a much wider area and forcing people from farmland, driving displacement and restricting humanitarian access, meaning hunger is quick to follow.”
Humanitarian access worsening
WFP said the humanitarian situation has been further complicated by worsening access constraints and severe funding shortages, making it increasingly difficult to reach vulnerable communities.
According to the agency, the number of locations inaccessible to its frontline staff has doubled, with an additional 15 areas now classified as partially inaccessible.
It also noted that humanitarian cargo movement along major transport corridors is increasingly being disrupted by attacks and illegal checkpoints, reducing the efficiency of relief operations. In several locations, WFP said its air transport service remains the only viable means of delivering humanitarian assistance.
Despite the growing humanitarian needs, WFP said funding shortages have forced it to significantly scale back its operations.
The agency said that while 6.2 million people are currently food insecure across the three northeastern states, it has sufficient resources to support only about 740,000 people.
This leaves approximately 5.5 million people—many of them children—without access to lifesaving food and nutrition assistance.
The organisation noted that this represents a sharp decline from the 1.3 million people it was able to assist during the peak of the 2025 lean season.
WFP warned that the reduction in food assistance is forcing vulnerable households to adopt desperate coping mechanisms.
According to the agency, some affected communities have reported instances of individuals joining armed groups in search of food or income, highlighting the growing security risks associated with worsening hunger.
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It also expressed concern that the suspension of food assistance in some displacement camps due to funding shortages has led to an alarming rise in exploitation and gender-based violence, particularly affecting women and children.
“When people lose access to food, the risks of displacement, exploitation and instability increase. Yet resources are at their lowest at the time they are needed most,” said Mr Samba.
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