United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has raised alarm over the worsening food security situation in northern Nigeria, revealing that some desperate residents are reportedly joining armed groups and bandit gangs in search of food and income.
The WFP said the prolonged conflict, widespread displacement and dwindling humanitarian assistance have pushed hunger in Nigeria’s conflict-affected northern states to levels not witnessed in almost a decade.
The organisation disclosed that more than 17 million people across nine conflict-affected states in northern Nigeria are currently facing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Kinday Samba, said the crisis was expanding beyond previously affected areas as insecurity continued to spread.
“What concerns us most is how this crisis is expanding,” Samba said in a statement.
He explained that the growing violence was forcing farming communities off their land, increasing displacement and making it increasingly difficult for humanitarian organisations to access vulnerable populations.
“The spread of violence is across a much wider area and forcing people from farmland, driving displacement and restricting humanitarian access,” he said.
According to the agency, the humanitarian situation has been further aggravated by reductions in international aid, including funding cuts by the United States and other Western donor countries.
The WFP noted that the funding shortfall has significantly affected some of Nigeria’s poorest and most vulnerable households, particularly in conflict-affected communities.
Nigeria has been battling an insurgency in the North-East since 2009, while the North-West continues to grapple with persistent attacks by armed bandit groups.
The organisation said the resurgence of violence since 2025 had compounded the humanitarian crisis and increased the number of communities beyond the reach of aid workers.
“As conflict in the country’s troubled north has expanded, so has the number of areas too dangerous for WFP to operate in.
“The number of inaccessible locations has doubled, with an additional 15 areas now considered partially inaccessible for WFP’s frontline staff,” it said.
The agency warned that government presence remained limited in many rural communities, leaving residents exposed to repeated attacks and worsening humanitarian conditions.
“Nigeria’s food security crisis is worsening faster than previously anticipated.
“Conflict is driving hunger in some northern states, particularly the North-East, to levels not seen in almost a decade,” the statement said.
According to the WFP, Borno, the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency, remains the worst-hit state, with more than three million people experiencing acute food insecurity.
It added that about 10,000 residents of the state were currently facing catastrophic hunger, the most severe classification of food insecurity.
The organisation called for increased humanitarian funding and improved access to affected communities to avert a further deterioration of the crisis.
It stressed that sustained efforts by governments, humanitarian partners and the international community would be critical to addressing both the immediate food needs of affected populations and the underlying drivers of the crisis.
