Food Scarcity in Northeast Threatens 3.3m People With Hungry in 2025

Food insecurity in Nigeria is a growing humanitarian crisis, and recently the International Red Cross reported that more than 3.3 million people in the northeast are directly affected.

Most of those impacted are farmers whose livelihoods have been destroyed by insecurity in the region, forcing them to abandon their farmland. The violence also affects fishermen—particularly in areas around Lake Chad and major rivers such as the Niger and Taraba—as well as pastoralists, who have lost access to grazing lands.

These disruptions are largely caused by armed groups and bandits operating in the northern regions.

Hunger in Northeast Nigeria in 2025

The northeast states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe are notable hotspots, collectively accounting for millions of those who are food insecure. 

The consequences extend beyond food shortages, triggering a chain of social problems: homelessness, child labor, school dropouts, and early marriages.

Children under five and breastfeeding women are among the most vulnerable groups. Similar challenges are also being reported in the northwest, showing that the crisis is not limited to one part of the country.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that food insecurity now affects communities nationwide. It said that over 30 million people across all 26 states are expected to face heightened risk during the pre-harvest summer period. This period is known to be the most critical as agricultural communities are especially vulnerable.

Since early 2025, the International Red Cross has provided targeted aid to mitigate the crisis, supporting 21,000 families with seeds for both dry and rainy seasons, farming equipment, and assistance to diversify diets with staple and vegetable crops such as corn, rice, tomatoes, and okra.

They have also worked on repairing water supply systems to sustain cultivation.

However, these interventions may not be enough to solve the deeper causes of the crisis. Persistent insecurity from violent groups, coupled with the effects of climate change, continues to threaten food production.

Droughts in the northwest and floods in the east are reducing yields, creating knock-on effects in the densely populated south. These regions are critical to Nigeria’s agricultural supply.