From Umar Dankano, Yola
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed deep concern over rising food insecurity in Nigeria’s conflict-affected northeastern region, where millions face severe hunger due to displacement and limited access to farmland.
In a press statement issued by ICRC Public Relations Officer, Aliyu Dawobe, on Monday, the humanitarian agency revealed that more than 3.7 million people in the region are currently experiencing food insufficiency as a result of insecurity, displacement, and the inability to access agricultural land.
To mitigate the growing crisis, the ICRC said it is supporting malnutrition stabilization centres and implementing community education initiatives to help families care for vulnerable children, while also promoting long-term resilience strategies.
“The ICRC has initiated an agricultural assistance programme that supports both rainy and dry season farming. This year alone, more than 21,000 farming households have received seeds adapted to local conditions, along with planting tools to reduce labour and improve efficiency,” the statement said.
The assistance includes field crops and vegetables such as rice, maize, okra, and tomatoes, contributing to improved dietary diversity and nutrition.
The Head of ICRC Delegation in Maiduguri, Diana Japaridze, emphasized that the situation is becoming more critical with the onset of the lean season, a period when food stocks dwindle and families must resort to buying food, something many can no longer afford.
“This is when households are under the most pressure. Many conflict-affected families can’t afford to buy enough food and are forced to drastically limit their intake,” Japaridze said.
She added that food insecurity is directly fueling malnutrition, especially among children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women. The ICRC, she noted, is also helping to build local capacity by training communities in sustainable farming practices so they can become self-reliant even after ICRC support ends.
At the structural level, the ICRC, in collaboration with the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), has recently completed repairs to a key water source, ensuring a steady water supply to the council’s seed testing and greenhouse facilities.
Still, the lean season presents a severe challenge for many farming communities unable to produce enough food to meet their families’ needs.
In Dikwa, one of the affected communities, local leader Modu Umar lamented the dire food shortages, explaining that some families are forced to trek long distances daily to collect firewood, which they sell to afford food.
“Right now, we face severe food shortages. Farming is the only long-term solution to hunger,” Umar said.
A 70-year-old farmer, Churi Gajibo Ibrahim, highlighted how insecurity hampers farming activity. “Some people trek for up to three hours just to reach their farms. By the time you get there, you’re already exhausted, and by the time you return home, it’s late,” he said.
Despite these daily hardships, many farmers continue to work their land. Bintu Konto, a mother of five, put it simply:
“Even when you’re afraid, you have to go. If you don’t farm during the rainy season, you’ll have nothing to eat.”
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