The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that more than one million people in northeast Nigeria could soon be cut off from emergency food and nutrition assistance unless urgent new funding is secured, as humanitarian aid resources run critically low.
The alert comes amid one of the most severe hunger crises in the region in recent memory, driven by prolonged conflict, mass displacement and deteriorating agricultural productivity. WFP’s latest projections indicate that, without additional donor support, its assistance will be drastically reduced from previous levels limiting support to approximately 72,000 people in the coming weeks, down sharply from over a million beneficiaries.
The northeast, which includes states such as Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, has borne the brunt of insurgency-related food insecurity, with millions displaced from their homes and unable to sustain livelihoods. According to recent assessments, nearly 35 million Nigerians risk acute food insecurity in 2026, with thousands at risk of catastrophic hunger, a level not seen in at least a decade.
WFP officials have called for urgent replenishment of humanitarian funds to avert widespread hunger, underscoring that expanded violence and ongoing barriers to food production have compounded existing vulnerabilities. The agency said continued cuts in global aid funding have hampered its capacity to maintain essential programmes, a trend that could have dire implications for survival and stability in affected communities.
The warning underscores the precarious nature of food security in conflict-affected areas of Nigeria and highlights the urgent need for coordinated international and domestic responses to prevent further deterioration of humanitarian conditions.
