Resurgent jihadist attacks and worsening insecurity across northern Nigeria are driving hunger to unprecedented levels, with thousands now facing “famine-like conditions,” the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday, nearly 35 million people in northern Nigeria are projected to experience severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season, which runs from May to September.
In Borno State — the epicentre of the 16-year jihadist insurgency — around 15,000 people are expected to reach “catastrophic hunger,” a threshold classified as “famine-like conditions.” The long-running conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, displaced about two million, and spilled into neighbouring countries.
Beyond the northeast, widespread violence by armed bandit groups in the centre and northwest continues to exacerbate the crisis. In just the past week, Nigeria recorded three mass abductions: over 300 students and teachers taken from a Catholic school in Niger State, 25 Muslim schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi State, and 38 worshippers seized from a church during a livestreamed service in Kwara State.
Although overall insurgency levels have declined since their peak in 2015, attacks have surged this year as jihadist factions strengthen and security forces face mounting pressure.
The lean season typically leaves rural households with minimal food reserves. In previous years, farmers could purchase food to compensate, but soaring inflation driven by a deepening economic crisis has pushed basic staples beyond reach.
The hunger situation is being compounded by cuts to foreign aid. The United States — WFP’s largest donor — has slashed international assistance under President Donald Trump, while several European countries have also reduced humanitarian budgets.
Nearly one million people in northeastern Nigeria rely on food assistance from WFP. However, funding shortfalls forced the agency to begin scaling down programmes in July. Of the 500 nutrition centres it operates in the region, 150 were closed at the end of July, leaving more than 300,000 children at heightened risk and driving malnutrition rates from “serious” to “critical” in the third quarter of the year.
This year has also seen an escalation in jihadist activity, including the first attack in Nigeria claimed by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) late last month.
“Communities are under severe pressure from repeated attacks and economic stress,” said WFP’s representative in Nigeria, David Stevenson. “Families are being pushed closer to the edge, and the need for support is rising.”
Nigeria remains gripped by a severe economic crisis as President Bola Tinubu implements reforms welcomed by the IMF but which have sharply increased the cost of living.
