Resurgent terrorist attacks and instability in northern Nigeria are pushing hunger to unprecedented levels, with thousands facing “famine-like conditions,” the World Food Programme said on Tuesday.
Nearly 35 million people in northern Nigeria are “projected to face severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season,” which stretches from May to September, the UN agency said in a statement.
In Borno State, the epicentre of the 16-year-long jihadist insurgency, around 15,000 people “are projected to reach catastrophic hunger” or “famine-like conditions,” the WFP said.
The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around two million others in the northeast, spilling into neighbouring countries.
Besides Boko Haram in the northeast, Nigeria also suffers violence led by “bandit” gangs in the centre and northwest, who raid villages, kill people, and kidnap for ransom.
Last week alone, Africa’s most populous country experienced three mass kidnappings.
More than 300 students and teachers were abducted from a Catholic school in Niger State, 25 Muslim high school girls were seized in neighbouring Kebbi State, and 38 worshippers were taken from a church during a livestreamed service in Kwara State.
While Nigeria’s insurgency has slowed since violence peaked around 2015, attacks have picked up since the beginning of the year due to factors that have strengthened jihadist groups and stretched security forces thin.
May to September, the time between planting and harvest, often leaves people—especially in rural areas—with little food reserves.
Normally, farmers would buy food, but with double-digit inflation driven by an economic crisis, many cannot.
