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Conflict, Funding Cuts Push Northern Nigeria Hunger Crisis to Worst Level in Nearly a Decade, WFP Warns
Conflict, Funding Cuts Push Northern Nigeria Hunger Crisis to Worst Level in Nearly a Decade, WFP Warns
By: Michael Mike
Escalating conflict, shrinking humanitarian funding and worsening access constraints have pushed northern Nigeria into its most severe hunger crisis in almost a decade, with more than 17 million people now facing acute food insecurity, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.
The UN agency said the deteriorating security situation, particularly in the North-East, is forcing families from their homes and farms, disrupting humanitarian operations and leaving millions without life-saving food assistance.
According to the latest Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis, more than 17 million people across nine conflict-affected northern states are experiencing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger—an increase of nearly two million people compared to the previous assessment.
The report painted an especially grim picture in Borno State, where renewed insurgent attacks coupled with the suspension of food assistance in some areas have left more than three million people acutely food insecure.
Of that figure, over 750,000 are experiencing severe hunger, while more than 10,000 people have slipped into catastrophic hunger—the highest level of food insecurity and one often associated with famine-like conditions.
Although those facing catastrophic hunger represent a relatively small proportion of Borno’s population, WFP warned that the figures signal a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation.
“What concerns us most is how this crisis is expanding,” said Kinday Samba.
“For years, insurgent attacks and violence were largely concentrated in parts of northeast Nigeria. Today, they are spreading across a much wider area and forcing people from farmland, driving displacement and restricting humanitarian access, meaning hunger is quick to follow.”
The agency said insecurity has significantly reduced access to vulnerable communities, with the number of locations partially inaccessible to humanitarian workers doubling in recent months.
An additional 15 areas are now considered difficult for WFP personnel to reach because of insecurity.
Humanitarian supply chains have also come under increasing pressure as attacks and illegal checkpoints disrupt the movement of relief materials along major transport corridors, leaving air transport as the only viable option in several locations.
Beyond insecurity, WFP identified severe funding shortages as a major factor worsening the crisis.
While an estimated 6.2 million people are now food insecure across the three insurgency-ravaged North-East states, the agency said it currently has sufficient resources to assist only about 740,000 people.
That leaves approximately 5.5 million people—many of them women and children—without essential food and nutrition support.
The figure represents a sharp decline from the 1.3 million people WFP assisted during the peak of the 2025 lean season.
The agency warned that the suspension of food assistance in several displacement camps is pushing desperate families toward dangerous coping mechanisms.
Communities have reported cases of people joining armed groups in exchange for food or income, highlighting the growing link between hunger, insecurity and recruitment by violent extremists.
WFP also raised alarm over increasing reports of exploitation and gender-based violence, particularly affecting women and children, following reductions in humanitarian assistance.
“When people lose access to food, the risks of displacement, exploitation and instability increase. Yet resources are at their lowest at the time they are needed most,” Samba said.
The new assessment also indicates that Nigeria’s food crisis extends well beyond conflict-hit northern communities.
Nationwide, an estimated 36.2 million people are now experiencing food insecurity, reflecting the combined impact of persistent insecurity, inflation, climate shocks and economic pressures that continue to erode household purchasing power and agricultural production.
The worsening humanitarian outlook comes as aid agencies struggle with declining donor support amid multiple global crises competing for limited humanitarian resources.
WFP warned that without urgent intervention, hunger, displacement and instability could intensify further across northern Nigeria and spill over into neighbouring countries.
To sustain emergency food assistance, nutrition programmes and humanitarian logistics over the next six months, the agency said it urgently requires 89 million US dollars in additional funding.
It appealed to international donors and development partners to step up support, warning that failure to act could reverse years of humanitarian gains and deepen one of West Africa’s most protracted crises.
Conflict, Funding Cuts Push Northern Nigeria Hunger Crisis to Worst Level in Nearly a Decade, WFP Warns
Troops Arrest Three Suspected Kidnappers in Plateau Raid
By Zagazola Makama
Troops of Sector 1, Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP), have arrested three suspected kidnappers during a raid on a criminal hideout at Mista-Ali in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Credible security sources told Zagazola Makama that the operation was conducted at about 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 14, following intelligence reports on the activities of suspected kidnappers operating in the area.
The troops raided the identified hideout and arrested three suspects, identified as Umar Aliyu, 25; Abdulrahman Adam, 25; and Bello Isa, 21.
Two other suspects reportedly escaped during the operation.
However, one of the fleeing suspects attacked and stabbed a soldier, identified as CPL Muhammad Adam, with a knife while attempting to escape.
The injured personnel was immediately evacuated to the General Hospital, Mista-Ali, where he was admitted for medical attention.
A search of the houses belonging to the arrested suspects was subsequently conducted, but no incriminating items were recovered.
The three suspects remain in military custody and are assisting ongoing investigations into their activities and possible links to kidnapping operations in the area.
The development highlights the continued efforts by security forces to dismantle criminal networks and prevent kidnappers from establishing hideouts in communities across Plateau State.
Zagazola Makama reports that security agencies have continued to intensify intelligence-led operations in vulnerable communities as part of efforts to protect residents and maintain peace in the state.
Troops Arrest Three Suspected Kidnappers in Plateau Raid
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ECOWAS, Africa Agenda Network Deepen Partnership to Showcase Regional Bloc’s 50-Year Legacy
ECOWAS, Africa Agenda Network Deepen Partnership to Showcase Regional Bloc’s 50-Year Legacy
By: Michael Mike
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration with the Africa Agenda Network (AAN) as part of efforts to document, promote and deepen public understanding of the regional bloc’s five decades of achievements and contributions to West African integration.
The renewed commitment was made on Tuesday when the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, received the Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Agenda Network, Ms. Muna Jallow, during a working visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting focused on the progress of the Africa Agenda Network–ECOWAS Strategic Partnership Initiative, a three-phase programme designed to commemorate ECOWAS’ 50th anniversary while strengthening citizens’ appreciation of the organisation’s role in advancing regional cooperation.
Briefing the Commission President, Jallow said the initiative’s first phase had been successfully implemented through the ECOWAS@50 Trade, Investment and Exhibition Forum held in Lagos, Nigeria.
She disclosed that attention has now shifted to the second phase—the production of a commemorative publication documenting the history of ECOWAS over the past 50 years, highlighting its major milestones, achievements and contributions to regional integration.
According to her, the final phase of the initiative will see the production of a high-quality documentary series that will tell the ECOWAS story through the voices and experiences of citizens from across the organisation’s member states.
Responding, Touray welcomed the initiative and reaffirmed the ECOWAS Commission’s commitment to sustaining and expanding its partnership with the Africa Agenda Network.
He said the collaboration would play a vital role in increasing public awareness of ECOWAS, preserving its institutional history and projecting the organisation’s achievements and impact across West Africa and the international community.
The partnership comes as ECOWAS marks 50 years since its establishment in 1975, a period during which the regional body has played leading roles in promoting economic integration, facilitating free movement across member states, supporting democratic governance and peacekeeping efforts, and advancing regional development initiatives despite persistent political and security challenges.
The commemorative publication and documentary are expected to serve as enduring records of the bloc’s evolution while helping a new generation of West Africans better understand the relevance of regional integration to the future of the sub-region.
ECOWAS, Africa Agenda Network Deepen Partnership to Showcase Regional Bloc’s 50-Year Legacy
Netherlands Donates Equipment to Boost Nigeria Immigration’s Hostmanship Programme
By: Michael Mike
The Kingdom of the Netherlands has donated specialised equipment to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to strengthen its Hostmanship Unit, deepening more than two decades of bilateral cooperation aimed at improving migration management and customer service delivery.
The equipment was presented by the Repatriation and Departure Service (R&DS) of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security during a ceremony at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
Receiving the donation, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, described the gesture as a significant milestone in the long-standing partnership between the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Netherlands, noting that it would bolster institutional professionalism and improve service delivery.
Nandap said the equipment represents a strategic investment in institutional excellence and would enhance the Hostmanship Unit’s training capacity and operational efficiency.
She explained that the initiative is designed to entrench the philosophy of hostmanship across the Service, encouraging immigration officers to ensure that members of the public are treated with courtesy, empathy and professionalism at every point of contact.
“The equipment will further strengthen our capacity to institutionalise the Hostmanship philosophy, where every officer is inspired to make people feel welcomed, respected and valued,” she said.
The Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Abuja, Mr. Ronald Sonnemans, described the collaboration with the Nigeria Immigration Service as a model of sustained international partnership.
He reaffirmed the Dutch government’s commitment to supporting initiatives that enhance migration management, institutional capacity and public service delivery in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Immigration Service disclosed that the partnership has already produced tangible results, including the training of hundreds of immigration officers, the establishment of a dedicated Hostmanship Unit and sustained capacity-building programmes under the European Union-funded Capacity Building and Relationship Management (CBR) Project.
According to the Service, the latest donation underscores the commitment of both countries to strengthening migration governance through innovation, knowledge sharing and institutional reforms that enhance public confidence in immigration services.
The Service expressed appreciation to the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Repatriation and Departure Service for their continued support, pledging to ensure the donated equipment is effectively utilised in advancing ongoing reforms.
The Nigeria Immigration Service has in recent years intensified reforms aimed at modernising border management, improving service delivery and enhancing the professionalism of its personnel. A key component of these reforms is the Hostmanship programme, a customer service philosophy developed in Sweden that focuses on creating positive service experiences by treating every individual with respect, courtesy and empathy.
The Netherlands has remained one of Nigeria’s key international partners in migration governance, supporting capacity-building initiatives through bilateral cooperation and European Union-funded programmes. The collaboration has focused on improving migration management, combating irregular migration, strengthening institutional capacity and promoting international best practices in public service delivery.
The latest donation is expected to further consolidate these reforms as the Nigeria Immigration Service seeks to build a more citizen-focused and globally competitive immigration system.
Netherlands Donates Equipment to Boost Nigeria Immigration’s Hostmanship Programme
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