The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has disclosed that severe hunger is driving individuals in northern Nigeria to join armed groups and bandits simply to obtain food or income. The revelation comes as hunger across the conflict-affected northern regions reaches levels unseen in a decade, exacerbated by spreading violence and shrinking humanitarian aid.
17 Million Face Crisis Hunger
According to the WFP, more than 17 million people across nine conflict-affected northern states are currently experiencing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of hunger. The country has been battling a jihadist insurgency centered in the northeast since 2009, with a resurgence in violence since 2025. Jihadists have also expanded into the northwest, which is already grappling with a separate crisis from armed “bandit” gangs.
Kinday Samba, WFP regional director for West and Central Africa, expressed deep concern over the expanding crisis. “What concerns us most is how this crisis is expanding,” he said, adding that the spread of violence is “across a much wider area and forcing people from farmland, driving displacement and restricting humanitarian access.”
Aid Cuts and Economic Reforms Worsen Poverty
Aid cuts under US President Donald Trump and other Western countries have hit some of Nigeria’s poorest households in recent years. Simultaneously, the International Monetary Fund reported last month that poverty has risen under President Bola Tinubu, whose economic reforms—while supported by economists—have driven up prices.
As conflict in the troubled north has expanded, so has the number of areas too dangerous for WFP operations. “The number of inaccessible locations has doubled: a further 15 areas are now considered partially inaccessible for WFP’s frontline staff,” the agency stated. Government control remains scanty outside urban centers, leaving vast rural areas vulnerable to attacks from armed groups.
Food Security Crisis Worsening Faster Than Anticipated
“Nigeria’s food security crisis is worsening faster than previously anticipated,” the WFP warned. “Conflict is driving hunger in some northern states, particularly the northeast, to levels not seen in almost a decade.” In Borno state, the epicenter of the jihadist conflict, more than three million people are “acutely food insecure,” including 10,000 people facing “catastrophic hunger.”
The WFP’s findings underscore the urgent need for increased humanitarian access and support to prevent further deterioration and reduce the incentive for vulnerable populations to turn to armed groups for survival.
