The escalating insurgency across northern Nigeria is pushing hunger to unprecedented levels, threatening regional stability, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned. In a statement from WFP yesterday, it quoted the latest Cadre Harmonisé, which shows that nearly 35 million Nigerians are projected to face severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season, marking the highest number ever recorded in the country. In northern Nigeria, the lean season typically runs from June to August. This is the period just before the main harvest when food stocks from the previous harvest are running low, prices are high and many households face food insecurity. In war-torn zones, insecurity caused by insurgent attacks prevents farmers from planting, tending, or harvesting crops safely. Fields may be abandoned, irrigation systems destroyed, and agricultural inputs (seeds, fertilizers) inaccessible. This reduces local food availability just as stocks from the previous harvest are running out. The surge in attacks by armed groups has intensified throughout 2025. Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, reportedly carried out its first attack in Nigeria last month, while the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) continues to expand across the Sahel. Other recent incidents include the killing of a brigadier soldier in the northeast and attacks on public schools, where teachers and hundreds of schoolgirls remain missing.

Sun