The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that escalating instability across Northern Nigeria, including a surge in violent attacks, could push nearly 35 million people into severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season — the highest figure ever recorded in the country.
The warning follows the release of the latest Cadre Harmonisé, a regional food security analysis that categorises the severity of hunger.
The UN highlighted attacks by insurgent groups in Nigeria, including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate; the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP); and the group’s expanding influence across the Sahel, which intensified throughout 2025.
WFP Country Director and Representative in Nigeria, David Stevenson, said Northern Nigeria is experiencing its most severe hunger crisis in a decade, with rural farming communities hardest hit.
He stated that nearly six million people in the north are projected to face crisis levels of hunger or worse during the 2026 lean season (June to August), particularly in the conflict-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.
This figure includes about 15,000 people in Borno who are expected to confront catastrophic hunger, classified as Phase 5 — famine-like conditions.
Stevenson also noted that children are at greatest risk across Borno, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara, where malnutrition rates remain alarmingly high.
“Communities are deteriorating under severe pressure from repeated attacks and economic stress. If we can’t keep families fed and food insecurity at bay, growing desperation could fuel increased instability, with insurgent groups exploiting hunger to expand their influence — creating a security threat that extends across West Africa and beyond,” he said.
He added that the dire situation has been compounded by funding shortfalls that undermine WFP’s ability to provide life-saving assistance.
In the North-East, where nearly one million people depend on the agency’s food and nutrition support, WFP was forced to scale down nutrition programmes in July, affecting more than 300,000 children.
In areas where clinics closed, malnutrition rates shifted from “serious” to “critical” in the third quarter of the year.
Despite soaring needs, Stevenson warned that WFP will run out of resources for emergency food and nutrition assistance in December.
Without urgent funding, he said, millions will be left without essential support in 2026, risking heightened instability and deepening a crisis the world cannot afford to ignore.
