The World Food Programme has warned that over one million people in northeast Nigeria risk losing emergency food and nutrition assistance within weeks unless urgent funding is secured.
In a statement on Thursday, WFP said it is being forced to slash assistance from 1.3 million people to only 72,000 due to a severe funding shortfall.
“Violence is surging across the north, and WFP is being forced to slash food assistance from 1.3 million people down to only 72,000 people,” the agency stated.
WFP Nigeria Country Director David Stevenson said, “If WFP cannot continue supporting the displaced populations in camps, they will leave the sites in a desperate attempt to survive. They will try to migrate, or they may join insurgent groups to feed themselves and their families.”
The crisis is unfolding amid renewed violence in the north, which has devastated communities, displaced families, and destroyed food reserves.
According to WFP, nearly 35 million Nigerians are projected to face acute and severe food insecurity during the upcoming lean season, including about 15,000 in Borno State who risk falling into catastrophic hunger—a step away from famine.
Stevenson emphasized, “Now is not the time to stop food assistance. This will lead to catastrophic humanitarian, security and economic consequences for the most vulnerable people.”
The agency described the situation as the worst levels of hunger recorded in a decade and is urgently seeking $129 million to sustain its operations in the northeast over the next six months. Without these funds, WFP warned its operations could shut down.
