The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that more than one million people in northeast Nigeria are at risk of losing access to emergency food and nutrition assistance within weeks unless urgent funding is secured.
In a statement released on Thursday, the UN agency said Nigeria is currently experiencing one of its worst hunger crises in recent years, driven by renewed violence, displacement, and economic pressures. The WFP disclosed that a severe funding shortfall is forcing it to drastically scale back its operations in the region.
According to the agency, food assistance is being reduced from 1.3 million beneficiaries to just 72,000 people, leaving millions of vulnerable individuals without support. The situation is particularly dire for displaced populations living in camps, who may be forced to leave in search of survival options if aid is cut.
WFP Nigeria Country Director, David Stevenson, warned that without continued assistance, affected persons could resort to dangerous coping mechanisms, including irregular migration or joining insurgent groups to feed their families. He stressed that food aid remains one of the last stabilising forces preventing further insecurity and mass displacement.
The agency noted that nearly 35 million people across Nigeria are projected to face acute and severe food insecurity during the upcoming lean season. Among them are about 15,000 people in Borno State who are at risk of falling into catastrophic hunger, just one step away from famine.
The WFP described the current levels of hunger as the worst recorded in the past decade. It added that the crisis is unfolding amid escalating violence that has destroyed livelihoods, farmlands, and food reserves in rural communities.
The organisation is urgently seeking 129 million dollars to sustain its northeast Nigeria operations over the next six months, warning that failure to secure the funds could force a shutdown of critical humanitarian activities.
