The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that nearly 35 million Nigerians are projected to face severe food insecurity in 2026.
The UN warned that the insurgency across northern Nigeria is pushing hunger to unprecedented levels and threatening regional stability.
In a statement released by the WFP on Tuesday, it quoted the latest Cadre Harmonisé, which shows that nearly 35 million Nigerians are projected to face severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season, marking the highest number ever recorded in the country.
In northern Nigeria, the lean season typically runs from June to August.
This is the period immediately preceding the main harvest, when food stocks from the previous harvest are dwindling, prices are high, and many households face food insecurity.
In war-torn zones, insecurity caused by insurgent attacks prevents farmers from planting, tending, or harvesting crops safely.
The surge in attacks by armed groups has intensified throughout 2025. Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, reportedly carried out its first attack in Nigeria last month, while the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) continues to expand across the Sahel.
“Communities are under severe pressure from repeated attacks and economic stress,” said WFP Country Director and Representative in Nigeria, David Stevenson.
He added, “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.”
Rural farming communities in northern Nigeria are the hardest hit.
Nearly six million people in conflict zones across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states are expected to face crisis-level hunger or worse during the 2026 lean season from June to August.
Borno State alone could see about 15,000 people confronting catastrophic hunger, equivalent to famine-like conditions. Children in Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara remain particularly vulnerable, with malnutrition rates reaching alarming levels
The crisis is exacerbated by severe funding shortfalls that limit WFP’s capacity to deliver lifesaving assistance.
Nearly one million people in the northeast depend on WFP’s food and nutrition programs, yet scaling down in July affected over 300,000 children. In areas where clinics closed, malnutrition levels worsened from “serious” to “critical” in the third quarter of the year.
Despite the growing need, WFP warns it will run out of resources for emergency food and nutrition assistance by December.
Without urgent funding, millions will face hunger in 2026, deepening the crisis and heightening the risk of further instability in Nigeria and the wider West African region.
Stevenson emphasised the urgency, “This is not just a humanitarian issue, it is a security issue that requires immediate global attention. Millions of lives are at stake, and action must be taken now to prevent further catastrophe.”
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