The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that more than one million people in northeast Nigeria could lose access to emergency food and nutrition assistance within weeks due to a severe funding shortfall.
The agency said that without urgent financial support, it will be forced to drastically scale down its operations, limiting assistance to just 72,000 people—an unprecedented reduction in Nigeria. The warning comes amid a sharp rise in violence, displacement, and hunger across the country’s northern regions.
Nigeria is currently facing one of its most serious food security crises in recent years.
According to the latest Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis, nearly 35 million people are expected to experience acute food insecurity during the 2026 lean season. In Borno State alone, about 15,000 people are classified as facing catastrophic hunger, the most severe level short of famine and the highest recorded in the state in a decade.
Speaking on the situation, WFP’s Nigeria Country Director, David Stevenson, cautioned that cutting food assistance at this critical time could have far-reaching humanitarian and security consequences. He noted that millions of displaced and vulnerable people depend on food aid for survival and stability.
WFP has operated in northeast Nigeria since 2015, providing food and nutrition support to nearly two million people each year in areas affected by conflict. Beyond emergency relief, the organisation also supports local food systems by purchasing food domestically and helping communities build resilience against future shocks.
However, renewed insecurity has further strained already fragile communities. Over the past four months, about 3.5 million people have reportedly been displaced nationwide, with the majority of them in northern Nigeria. The violence has disrupted farming activities, destroyed food supplies, and pushed malnutrition rates in several states to critical levels.
Despite recent donor contributions that helped sustain operations, WFP said those funds have now been exhausted. The agency warned that if food assistance in displacement camps is halted, many people may be forced to leave in search of survival, potentially migrating to other regions or becoming vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups.
To prevent a complete shutdown of its northeast Nigeria operations, WFP said it urgently needs about 129 million dollars to cover food assistance and related activities over the next six months.
The agency stressed that continued humanitarian support remains a key stabilising factor in conflict-affected areas, helping to prevent further displacement and regional spillover of the crisis.
