Severe Hunger in Northern Nigeria

More than 17 million people across nine conflict‑affected states in northern Nigeria are now facing severe hunger, according to a recent United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) analysis. The report, released in early July 2026, warns that the region has reached its worst hunger levels in nearly a decade, with millions lacking reliable access to food.

The crisis stems from a combination of prolonged insecurity and limited humanitarian funding. Ongoing Islamist insurgency in the northeast and armed gang activity in other northern areas have displaced communities, prevented farmers from working their fields, and restricted aid deliveries. As households exhaust their food stocks during the lean season, the risk of famine intensifies.

In Borno state, the epicentre of the insurgency, more than three million people are acutely food insecure, including over 750,000 experiencing severe hunger. Across three northeastern states, the WFP can support fewer than half of the 1.3 million people it assisted last year, despite 6.2 million people in the region being food insecure overall.

To maintain essential food, nutrition and logistics operations, the agency has outlined an urgent requirement of $89 million over the next six months. This funding is needed to purchase staple foods, deliver nutritional supplements, and ensure the supply chain reaches the most vulnerable households.

WFP regional director for West and Central Africa Kinday Samba emphasized that loss of food access heightens the risk of displacement, exploitation and broader instability. He warned that violence is spreading to a wider geographic area, forcing more families from their farmland and deepening the humanitarian emergency.

The situation underscores a pressing need for coordinated international response. Sustained funding and expanded access for humanitarian actors are critical to preventing further erosion of food security and to protecting millions of lives in northern Nigeria.