A worsening nutrition crisis is threatening the survival of millions of young children in northern Nigeria, as the humanitarian consequences of a prolonged armed conflict continue to unfold.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), an estimated 6.4 million children under the age of five are currently suffering from acute malnutrition across northern Nigeria, highlighting one of the most devastating impacts of the 15-year conflict in the region.
The crisis spans the north-east, north-west, and north-central regions of Nigeria, where years of insecurity have disrupted farming activities, displaced millions of families, and severely limited access to food and healthcare services.
Humanitarian workers say the situation is particularly dire for children, whose fragile health conditions make them highly vulnerable to malnutrition and disease.
A MOTHER’s FEAR
For Zainab, the crisis became painfully real when she rushed her 22-month-old son, Umar, to a nutritional stabilization centre in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State which was run by ICRC.
Umar was barely conscious when they arrived.
His face and feet were severely swollen, a dangerous symptom of acute malnutrition that had stretched his skin to the limit. Holding her weak child in her arms, Zainab feared the worst.
“I thought I was going to lose him,” she recalled.
Umar’s case is one of thousands seen daily in stabilization centres across northern Nigeria, where children suffering from severe acute malnutrition receive life-saving medical care and therapeutic feeding.
ICRC EXPANDs EMERGENCY RESPONSE
In response to the deepening crisis, the International Committee of the Red Cross has intensified humanitarian operations across conflict-affected states, particularly in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe State.
According to the organization, more than 348,000 people received treatment for severe acute malnutrition in 2025 through ICRC-supported primary health care facilities and stabilization centres.
Among those treated were: Over 16,000 children under the age of five, and more than 19,000 pregnant and lactating women, who are particularly vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies.
The humanitarian organization says improving maternal nutrition is critical to protecting newborns and preventing intergenerational malnutrition.
Beyond hospital-based treatment, the ICRC has expanded community-based nutritional interventions aimed at early detection and prevention of malnutrition.
In 2025, 125 communities across north-east Nigeria received support through programmes designed to identify and manage malnutrition at household level.
These initiatives include: Family-based upper arm circumference measurements used to detect malnutrition early, Infant and young child feeding education programmes, and Supplementary feeding initiatives for vulnerable households.
CASH ASSISTANCE DURING LEAN SEASON
The humanitarian crisis is further intensified during the annual lean season, the period before harvest when household food supplies are at their lowest.
To help families survive this difficult period in 2025, the ICRC provided three rounds of cash assistance to more than 17,000 vulnerable families, enabling them to purchase food and other basic necessities.
Aid officials say cash assistance gives families flexibility and helps prevent harmful coping mechanisms such as selling farm tools, withdrawing children from school, or reducing meal intake.
Supporting Farmers to Restore Food Production: Recognizing that long-term food security depends on restoring livelihoods, the ICRC also expanded agricultural support programmes for farmers affected by conflict.
In 2025, over 168,000 people engaged in rainy and dry season farming received agricultural assistance, including climate-smart seeds, solar-powered irrigation systems, and other essential farming inputs.
These interventions aim to help families increase food production, rebuild incomes, and reduce dependence on humanitarian aid.
Meanwhile, Poor sanitation and unsafe living conditions can further worsen malnutrition, particularly among children.
To address this, 26,000 people received hygiene kits designed to help prevent disease outbreaks and improve overall living conditions in vulnerable communities.
Health experts warn that diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera can quickly weaken malnourished children and significantly increase the risk of death.
A Growing Humanitarian Concern; Humanitarian organizations warn that unless urgent action is sustained, the nutrition crisis in northern Nigeria could worsen, putting millions of children at risk.
For mothers like Zainab, however, every intervention represents a chance for survival.
After receiving treatment at the stabilization centre, her son Umar began to regain strength offering a small but powerful reminder that timely medical care and nutrition support can mean the difference between life and death for the region’s youngest victims.
As the conflict continues to shape life in northern Nigeria, aid agencies say addressing food insecurity and malnutrition must remain a priority to safeguard the future of millions of children.