The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that rising attacks in northern Nigeria are pushing people toward an extreme level of hunger never seen before.
New research shows that nearly 35 million people may face serious hunger by the 2026 lean season — the highest number ever recorded in Nigeria and even across Africa.
WFP said bandit attacks increased in 2025. Groups like JNIM and ISWAP have expanded their operations, including attacks on soldiers and kidnappings of students.
David Stevenson, the WFP director in Nigeria, said the attacks prevent farmers from reaching their farms, causing food shortages at a time when demand is rising.
In the states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, nearly six million people are suffering from food insecurity.
In Borno alone, about 15,000 people could face catastrophic hunger if emergency action is not taken.
Children in Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara, and Yobe are severely malnourished. Around one million people now depend on food aid, but funding shortages have forced cuts to the programme, affecting more than 300,000 children.
The report added that in some areas where health centres have closed, the hunger crisis has reached a “highly dangerous level.”