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Nigeria: Spike in food prices sees an increased level of malnutrition in the conflict-affected northeast

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Nigeria: Spike in food prices sees an increased level of malnutrition in the conflict-affected northeast

By: Our Reporter

The acute food insecurity and malnutrition situation in Nigeria is deteriorating as the economic crisis continues to deprive millions of people affected by the protracted conflict in the northeast of accessing food.

Consecutive shocks to the economy, including a 300 percent increase in fuel prices due to the removal of the petrol subsidy and the devaluation of the Nigerian Naira by more than 75%, have caused sudden and sustained spikes in the cost of transportation, staple food prices, agricultural production, and basic services, while the inflation rate reached an 18-year high of 26.72% percent in September.

“Before now, a bag of maize sold for N40,000, but now it sells for N70,000. We were selling one measure between N400 and N500, but now it sells between N1,000 and N1,200,” says Abubakar Isa, a trader in Gwoza town, Borno State. “This is due to the high cost of fuel, and if we complain to the drivers, they say prices of fuel as well as motor spare parts are now high.”

With the lifting of fuel subsidies, the average cost of food items in Borno State increased by 36% and transportation fares by 78%. As a result, thousands of families, especially the internally displaced, can no longer afford to buy the same quality and quantity of food as before, contributing to a poor diet and insufficient nutritious food intake. Income levels and labor opportunities have either reduced or remained the same in Borno State since the fuel subsidy removal.

Over a decade of conflict in the northeast continues to disrupt livelihood and market activities, as well as driving new displacement and preventing access to food production, health services, water, and sanitation facilities. 2.2 million people continue to be displaced across the northeast, while 4.3 million are still in need of food assistance. As of August 2023, 1.53 million children under 5 were acutely malnourished [1] in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states.

As the economic crisis rages, more families are coping through erosion of their livelihoods (such as the sale of productive assets) and the adoption of crisis strategies (mainly a high reliance on aid). Furthermore, families are increasingly experiencing a vicious debt cycle. They are taking on higher debt levels every month and maxing out their credit levels to cover basic needs. With such levels of negative coping strategies, many families are precariously exposed, and any sudden shocks at unprecedented levels would further worsen food insecurity and lead to acute malnutrition at extreme levels.

“We were eating 2-3 times daily, but now we have difficulties having breakfast. Not to talk of water for drinking” says Abubakar, “Our children have been sent back from school because we could not pay for their books.”

In addition, smallholding farmers struggled with higher costs of seed, fertilizer, and other farm inputs. As a coping strategy, some farmers reduced the amount of land they cultivated during the growing season.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been recording a steady increase in the number of admissions of children under the age of five suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in its supported health facilities in the northeast. Between 2020 and 2023, the number of new admissions more than doubled. This annual trend, correlated with the increase in the prevalence of malnutrition, food insecurity, and the number of cases of childhood illnesses, could indicate a gradual deterioration in the nutritional situation in the areas of intervention in these health structures, despite the efforts made to improve access to integrated care. From January to September 2023, more than 6,000 severely malnourished under-5 children and over 10,000 malnourished pregnant and lactating women have received nutrition treatment at ICRC-supported health facilities in the northeast.

“Day to day, the rate of malnutrition is increasing as people no longer have access to diversified and nutritious food,” says Ghulam Muhaiuddin Sayad, Deputy Coordinator of the ICRC`s economic security program in Nigeria. “Many people, especially children, are experiencing malnutrition-related illnesses.”

According to the Integrated Food Security Classification in August 2023, acute malnutrition is particularly prevalent among people newly arriving from inaccessible areas in the northeast, with overall global acute malnutrition (GAM) rates of 19.3 percent. The high levels of acute malnutrition indicate an extremely stressed population in relation to food insecurity, poor water and sanitation access, and poor health conditions, which have led to a high disease burden.

The ICRC, along with its partner, the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), has been supporting the most vulnerable, particularly in the northeast, with cash to purchase food or to commence small-scale businesses. This year, more than 13,187 families benefited from the ICRC`s cash assistance until September 2023. In addition, 41,000 farming families received staple and cash crop seeds to improve food production during the rainy season, while 57,000 people, including pregnant and lactating women and children under five, received food rations and supplementary feeding to prevent malnutrition. Another sustainable support was provided to 300 farmers in Plateau State through the donation of 138 pumps to improve irrigation during the dry season.

Nigeria: Spike in food prices sees an increased level of malnutrition in the conflict-affected northeast

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Armed robbery foiled by Bauchi Police, three suspects arrested in Bauchi

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Armed robbery foiled by Bauchi Police, three suspects arrested in Bauchi

By: Zagazola Makama

Three persons were arrested following a foiled armed robbery along the Bauchi–Gombe Federal Highway in Kirfi Local Government Area of Bauchi State on Jan. 26.

Sources said the incident occurred at about 12:16 a.m. when armed robbers blocked the road near Kalajanga Hamlet via Bara Village.

Officers on routine patrol responded promptly, engaging the hoodlums and forcing them to abandon their operation and flee into the surrounding bush.

The trail of the robbers led authorities to the house of one Nasiru Ibrahim of Saddiya Hamlet, where two of his children, Isya Nasiru, 20, and Umar Nasiru, 18, were also arrested in connection with the case.

Recovered items included two sticks, a touch light, three bags, a local bullet-proof shirt, face masks, two pairs of shoes, an Oppo android phone, and several local charms.

Sources say Investigations are ongoing.

Armed robbery foiled by Bauchi Police, three suspects arrested in Bauchi

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Four killed, 15 injured in lone motor accident on Ibadan–Oyo Expressway

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Four killed, 15 injured in lone motor accident on Ibadan–Oyo Expressway

By: Zagazola Makama

Four people were killed and fifteen others injured in a lone motor accident involving a Glynlyon truck along the Ibadan–Oyo Expressway on Jan. 26.

Sources said the truck, with registration number LSD 221 YM, was coming from Kebbi State to Ogun State, carrying rocky stones as well as 23 passengers seated on the stones at the back of the vehicle.

The driver, identified as Muhammed Jibril of Adamawa State, reportedly lost control of the vehicle after hitting a pothole in the Fiditi area, causing the truck to overturn.

The heavy stones reportedly fell on the passengers, killing four instantly, while fifteen others sustained varying degrees of injuries.

The injured were rushed to General Hospital Oyo for treatment, and the bodies of the deceased were evacuated to the hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

Four killed, 15 injured in lone motor accident on Ibadan–Oyo Expressway

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Six people abducted by armed bandits in Maru, Zamfara State

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Six people abducted by armed bandits in Maru, Zamfara State

By: Zagazola Makama

Suspected armed bandits on Jan. 25 abducted six people at gunpoint in Tauji village, Kanoma District of Maru Local Government Area, Zamfara State, while the victims were observing Isha’i prayers.

Sources said one of the victims has been identified as Yahuza Mikailu, 40, while the identities of the remaining five are yet to be confirmed.

The abductors reportedly took the victims to an unknown location.

Efforts are ongoing by security operatives to track the bandits, rescue the victims, and apprehend the perpetrators.

Six people abducted by armed bandits in Maru, Zamfara State

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