17 million Nigerians face starvation as UN calls for $89 million emergency response

…He senses the hunger that fuels bandit recruitment

… WFP warns millions of people at risk of losing life-saving aid

Daud Olatunji

The United Nations World Food Program has raised new alarm over Nigeria’s worsening food crisis, revealing that more than 17 million people in nine conflict-hit northern states are battling severe hunger, with growing hunger now driving some desperate residents to join armed groups in exchange for food or income.

The UN agency has appealed for $89 million to support emergency food and nutrition assistance, as well as critical humanitarian logistics, over the next six months, warning that growing insecurity, reduced donor funding and limited access to humanitarian aid are driving millions of people deeper into food insecurity.

In a statement released on Thursday, WFP said Cadre Harmonisé’s latest food security analysis showed that more than 17 million Nigerians are experiencing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of food insecurity, an increase of nearly two million people compared to the previous assessment.

He warned that without urgent intervention, the humanitarian emergency could further worsen insecurity in northern Nigeria.

The agency revealed that communities in some parts of the North have reported cases of people joining bandits and other armed groups simply to survive.

“Communities have reported cases of individuals joining armed groups in search of food or income, underscoring the risks created when hunger worsens and people run out of options,” the WFP said.

WFP regional director for West and Central Africa Kinday Samba said the crisis was no longer limited to the north-east, warning that violence was spreading to wider parts of northern Nigeria.

“What concerns us most is the way this crisis is expanding. For years, rebel attacks and violence have been largely concentrated in parts of northeastern Nigeria.

“Today they are spreading across a much larger area and forcing people off farmland, causing displacement and limiting humanitarian access, meaning starvation is quick to follow,” Samba said.

According to the agency, Borno State remains the most affected, with more than three million residents suffering from severe food insecurity due to renewed rebel attacks and reductions in humanitarian assistance.

More than 750,000 people in the state are facing severe hunger, while more than 10,000 people have slipped into catastrophic hunger, the highest and most life-threatening level of food insecurity.

WFP noted that humanitarian operations have become increasingly difficult, with the number of locations inaccessible to humanitarian workers doubling, while another 15 areas have become only partially accessible due to worsening insecurity.

He added that attacks on major transport routes and the proliferation of illegal checkpoints have disrupted the movement of humanitarian aid, forcing aid agencies to rely on expensive airlifts to reach some isolated communities.

The organization also blamed declining support from international donors, including aid cuts by the United States and other Western countries, for severely limiting humanitarian operations in northern Nigeria.

According to the agency, although about 6.2 million people are currently food insecure in the three northeastern states, available resources can only support about 740,000 people, leaving about 5.5 million people, many of them children, without life-saving food and nutrition assistance.

It said this marked a sharp decline from the 1.3 million people served during the peak of the 2025 lean season.

WFP has warned that reductions in humanitarian assistance are exposing vulnerable families to greater risks, including exploitation, displacement and gender-based violence, especially among women and children.

It also expressed concern that the suspension of food assistance in some IDP camps due to funding gaps had worsened protection risks.

“When people lose access to food, the risks of displacement, exploitation and instability increase. Yet resources are at their lowest when they are needed most,” Samba added.

Nigeria has been battling a jihadist insurgency in the northeast since 2009, while armed bandit groups continue to terrorize communities in the northwest, displacing thousands of residents and disrupting agricultural activities, further worsening the country’s food insecurity crisis.

WFP urged the international community to urgently mobilize the requested $89 million to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian and security situation in northern Nigeria.

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