The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that worsening hunger across northern Nigeria is pushing desperate residents into joining armed bandit groups in search of food and income, as conflict, displacement, and shrinking humanitarian assistance deepen the region’s crisis.
According to the UN, communities across northern Nigeria have reported cases of individuals joining bandit groups simply to survive. The agency said more than 17 million people are currently experiencing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of hunger, describing the food security situation as the worst recorded in nearly a decade.
The WFP attributed the worsening crisis to the expansion of armed violence across the Northeast and Northwest, forcing thousands of farming families off their land, increasing displacement, and limiting humanitarian access to vulnerable communities. The agency also noted that recent reductions in international aid have further weakened efforts to support millions of people facing severe food insecurity.
The organisation warned that the number of areas too dangerous for humanitarian workers has doubled, significantly restricting food distribution. While about 6.2 million people in northeastern Nigeria are now food insecure, funding shortages mean the WFP can only provide food assistance to approximately 740,000 people, leaving an estimated 5.5 million people, particularly children, without support.
The UN expressed concern that the suspension and reduction of food assistance are forcing families into desperate survival strategies, including recruitment into armed groups, warning that hunger is increasingly becoming a driver of insecurity in the region.
The warning comes amid growing concerns over Nigeria’s worsening humanitarian crisis, with experts urging increased investment in food security, rural livelihoods, and conflict resolution to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
