Nigeria: ICRC-supported health facilities see 18 per cent rise in malnutrition cases
In north-east Nigeria, admissions for malnutrition have risen by nearly a fifth in a single year at six health centres and four hospitals supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). They went from around 17,000 cases between January and September 2025 to almost 20,000 cases over the same period this year.
Young children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are the hardest hit.
The increase is sharpest in Mubi, in Adamawa State, where admissions rose by nearly a quarter, from about 4,600 cases in the first nine months of 2025 to around 5,700 over the same period in 2026.
At the Mubi Stabilization Centre mothers wait in line with their young children for a check of their nutritional status. Among them is Zulaihatu Mohammed, holding six-month-old Huseina, one of her twins.
“When I gave birth to them, this one was tiny,” says Zulaihatu. “I came today for the routine collection of children’s food. She is not feeling well. Since I gave birth to her, she has been unwell.”
Zulaihatu’s experience reflects the challenges facing families across north-eastern Nigeria, where armed conflict, climate shocks and economic pressures have disrupted livelihoods and made it harder to put meals on the table.
For farmers like Saminu Samiyu Ijaduwa, explosive devices have made fields further from home dangerous to cultivate. For that reason, he has no choice but to cultivate a small plot, close to his house.
“Due to the conflict, going one kilometre out of town to farm could be highly risky. You might not return!” says Saminu.
When families cannot safely reach their fields and markets are disrupted, access to food becomes even more difficult. The consequences can be particularly serious for young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
To combat malnutrition in Nigeria, the ICRC, together with the Nigerian Red Cross, supports 15 primary health-care centres and four hospitals, helps more than 200 communities to treat malnutrition and runs programmes to strengthen their food security. This includes providing farmers with seeds suited to drought and flooding, promoting crop diversity and supporting mothers to prepare nutritious food at home.
For example, a blend of sorghum, millet, soybeans, groundnuts and moringa, known as ‘Tom Brown, has helped more than 13,000 young children recover from moderate acute malnutrition. Mothers also learn to prepare it themselves, in order to continue to provide nutritious food for their children.
In Nigeria, Africa’s third-largest economy, the toll of 15 years of conflict has had a measurable impact on overall hunger levels: in 2026, more than 34 million people are expected to lack enough food to feed their families, the highest figure in six years, according to analysis from the United Nations[1]. This same report places Nigeria among the world’s hunger hotspots of highest concern, alongside Sudan, Yemen, Somalia and Gaza.
For more information, please contact:
Aliyu Dawobe, ICRC Abuja, tel: +234 803 953, adawobe@icrc.org
Mateo Jaramillo, ICRC Nairobi, tel: +254 716 897 265, mjaramillo@icrc.org
Length: 07:21
Location: Nigeria
Date Of Filming: August 2026
Copyright: ICRC access all
On Screen Credit: ICRC written or logo
Food Insecurity
00:00:00 - 00:00:08
Exterior shot of Muda Primary Healthcare Center in Muda, Northeast Nigeria.
00:00:09 – 00:00:45
Various shots of patients and children being attended to at Muda Primary Healthcare Center in Muda.
00:00:46 – 00:01:22
Soundbite: Zulaiha Mohammed – Resident, Muda, Nigeria
Her name is Huseina Ahmadu. I gave birth to twins. When I gave birth to them, this one was tiny. I came in today for routine collection of children food. She has not been feeling well. Since I gave birth to her, she has been unwell. Even the other one too. When I first came, I was told to come back after six months. That’s why I am here today because she is now 6 months. I’m receiving her food and try to see if she will be okay.
00:01:23 – 00:01:30
Exterior shot of Mubi Stabilization Center in Mubi, Nigeria.
00:01:31 – 00:01:50
Various shots of Zulaiha Mohammed and her twin daughters being attended to at Mubi Stabilization Center in Mubi, Nigeria.
00:01:51 – 00:02:29
Various shots of Saminu Samiyu on his farm in Duhu, Northeast Nigeria.
00:02:30 – 00:03:12
Soundbite: Saminu Samiyu – Farmer, Duhu, Northeast Nigeria
I live in Duhu and this is my farmland. This farmland is in town and I have been using it for the last seven years. Because when people were prevented from cultivating out of town, it became necessary to use this place to plant maize to feed my family. The reason we cultivate here is we are unable to go out of town to farm, due to the conflict. Going one kilometer out of town to farm could be highly risky. You may not return!
00:03:13 – 00:03:44
Various shots of a family tilling their farm in Duhu, Nigeria.
00:03:45 – 00:04:21
Soundbite: Saminu Samiyu – Farmer, Duhu, Northeast Nigeria
We have other IDPs from surrounding communities as their towns aren’t safe, especially people from Butuku, Hantsa, and Kaya. They are all here, and nobody can go out of town to farm. We have to look for food within town, that is why we have to get smaller places to farm and feed our families, and also support the internally displaced persons and other neighbors within.
00:04:22 – 00:04:54
Various shots of Saminu Samiyu on his farm showing his maize harvest.
00:04:45 – 00:05:57
Soundbite: Charu Chandra – ICRC Deputy Economic & Security Co-ordinator, Nigeria
Due to the conflict, farmers are unable to access their farmland. In addition to that, the market supply chain has been really disrupted, which has really interrupted in terms of access to imports, which is mainly seeds and fertilizers. Farmers are not able to access these things, and in the absence of seeds, fertilizers, access to land, farmers are unable to cultivate. It is contributing a big chunk to food insecurity. In addition to this, climate change has played a big role nowadays, because we see sometime erratic rains, rains are happening for a certain period, and then there are issues with the flooding. So, it has really hampered the food security situation in Nigeria. If you ask me who has been really affected by it, we can just say apart from the whole population, there are women and children who have been heavily impacted, especially the pregnant, lactating, as well as children under 5 years. If you see the rate of malnutrition in Nigeria, it has significant increase in the past few years.
00:05:58 – 00:06:14
Various shots of ICRC and Nigeria Red Cross staff conducting a dissemination session on nutritional needs for children under five years..
00:06:15 – 00:06:44
Various shots of ICRC and Nigeria Red Cross staff preparing Tom Brown, which is a nutritional supplement given to children under five years.
00:06:45 – 00:07:21
Soundbite: Charu Chandra – ICRC Deputy Economic & Security Co-ordinator, Nigeria
We are distributing seeds in different communities, and the main purpose is to boost the local production on whatever small access to land they have. We want to ensure that they have access to land, and with this access, they're able to do small production. The kind of seed we are distributing, includes everything, which can meet the dietary requirement of a family. It includes carbohydrates, source of protein, source of oil seed, as well as multi-vitamins. It is combination package, which can help a family to at least have the diversified food source, which can help in terms of balance food.
ENDS
