The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says Nigeria’s food security crisis is deteriorating faster than previously anticipated, with more than 17 million people across conflict-affected states in the north facing acute hunger.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the agency said a recent Cadre Harmonisé analysis showed that more than 17 million people across nine northern states are experiencing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
The Cadre Harmonisé analysis said the figure represents an increase of almost two million people compared to previous projections.
According to the WFP, conflict continues to drive hunger across northern Nigeria, particularly in the north-east, where food insecurity has reached levels not seen in almost a decade.
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The agency said Borno State remains the worst affected, with more than three million people facing acute food insecurity.
It added that over 750,000 people in the state are experiencing severe hunger, while more than 10,000 are facing catastrophic hunger.
“While those in catastrophic hunger represent a small share of Borno’s overall food-insecure population, it provides a stark warning that conflict, displacement and shrinking humanitarian assistance are pushing the crisis into more dangerous territory,” the statement reads.
WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Kinday Samba, said the crisis is expanding beyond areas traditionally affected by insurgency.
“What concerns us most is how this crisis is expanding. For years, insurgent attacks and violence were largely concentrated in parts of northeast Nigeria,” Samba said.
“Today, they are spreading across a much wider area and forcing people from farmland, driving displacement and restricting humanitarian access, meaning hunger is quick to follow.”
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The WFP said humanitarian operations have also been hampered by worsening access constraints and severe funding shortages.
According to the agency, the number of inaccessible locations has doubled, with an additional 15 areas now partially inaccessible to frontline humanitarian workers.
It said attacks along major transport routes and the proliferation of illegal checkpoints are disrupting the movement of relief supplies, leaving air transport as the only viable option in some locations.
The agency also warned that funding shortfalls have significantly reduced the scale of humanitarian assistance despite rising needs.
It said while 6.2 million people across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are currently food insecure, it is only able to provide food assistance to about 740,000 people.
The WFP said this leaves approximately 5.5 million people, many of them children, without lifesaving food and nutrition support.
The figure marks a sharp decline from the 1.3 million people the agency supported during the peak of the 2025 lean season.
The agency warned that the suspension of food assistance in some communities is forcing vulnerable households to adopt desperate coping strategies.
It said communities have reported cases of people joining armed groups in search of food or income, while funding cuts have also contributed to increased exploitation and gender-based violence, particularly against women and children.
“When people lose access to food, the risks of displacement, exploitation and instability increase. Yet resources are at their lowest at the time they are needed most,” Samba said.
The WFP said it requires $89 million over the next six months to sustain food and nutrition assistance as well as essential logistics support across northern Nigeria.
It warned that without urgent funding, hunger could worsen further, leading to increased displacement and insecurity across the region.
