More than one million Nigerians in the crisis-ridden North-East are staring at imminent starvation following threats by the World Food Programme to halt emergency food and nutrition assistance over lack of funds.
The global humanitarian organisation disclosed that it requires urgent funding within weeks to prevent what could become one of the country’s worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory.
In a statement posted on its website, the WFP revealed that escalating violence across northern Nigeria has compelled it to slash food assistance from 1.3 million beneficiaries to a mere 72,000 persons.
The WFP Country Director for Nigeria, Mr David Stevenson, warned that the consequences of discontinuing support could trigger a humanitarian catastrophe with far-reaching security implications.
“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,” Stevenson stated.
The organisation, which describes itself as the world’s largest humanitarian body focused on emergency relief and post-conflict recovery, highlighted that approximately 35 million Nigerians are projected to experience acute and severe food insecurity during the lean season.
“Now is not the time to stop food assistance. This will lead to catastrophic humanitarian, security and economic consequences for the most vulnerable people who have been forced to flee their homes in search of food and shelter,” Stevenson cautioned.
He added that humanitarian interventions remain among the last stabilising mechanisms preventing mass displacement and regional spillover of the crisis.
According to the WFP, current hunger levels represent the worst recorded in a decade, underscoring the severity of Nigeria’s food security emergency.
The agency is urgently seeking $129m to sustain its operations in the North-East over the next six months, warning that without the funds, its entire operation could collapse.