The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has raised alarm over an acute funding shortfall that could leave more than one million people in northeast Nigeria without emergency food and nutrition assistance within weeks.
In a statement, the agency said the lack of urgent financial support may force it to drastically scale down operations, reducing aid coverage to just 72,000 people—its lowest level ever recorded in Nigeria. The warning comes against the backdrop of escalating violence, mass displacement, and deepening hunger across the country’s northern regions.
Nigeria is facing one of its most severe food security crises in recent years. The latest Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis projects that nearly 35 million people will 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 extreme level short of famine and the highest figure recorded in the state in a decade.
WFP’s Nigeria Country Director, David Stevenson, cautioned that cutting food assistance at such a critical juncture could have serious humanitarian and security implications. He noted that millions of displaced and vulnerable people rely on food aid not only for survival but also for stability in conflict-affected communities.
Since 2015, WFP has operated in northeast Nigeria, providing food and nutrition support to nearly two million people annually. In addition to emergency relief, the agency supports local food systems by purchasing food within Nigeria and assisting communities to strengthen resilience against future shocks.
However, renewed insecurity has compounded existing vulnerabilities. Over the past four months, an estimated 3.5 million people have been displaced nationwide, with the majority in northern Nigeria. The violence has disrupted agricultural activities, destroyed food stocks, and driven malnutrition rates in several states to critical levels.
While recent donor contributions helped sustain operations temporarily, WFP said those funds have now been exhausted. The agency warned that a halt in food assistance at displacement camps could force affected populations to migrate in search of survival or expose them to the risk of recruitment by armed groups.
To avert a shutdown of its northeast Nigeria operations, WFP said it urgently requires about 129 million dollars to fund food assistance and related activities over the next six months. The agency stressed that sustained humanitarian support remains a vital stabilising factor in conflict-affected areas, helping to prevent further displacement and the wider spread of the crisis.
