ICRC Raises Alarm as Malnutrition Cases Surge at Supported Health Facilities in Northeast Nigeria
Admissions for malnutrition at health facilities supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in northeast Nigeria rose by 18 per cent in the first nine months of 2026, highlighting the growing food and nutrition crisis affecting children and vulnerable women in the region.
The ICRC disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday, October 15, 2026, noting that six health centres and four hospitals it supports recorded nearly 20,000 malnutrition cases between January and September 2026, compared with approximately 17,000 cases during the corresponding period in 2025.
Young children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers remain the most affected by the worsening situation.
The increase was particularly pronounced in Mubi, Adamawa State, where malnutrition admissions rose by nearly 24 per cent, from about 4,600 cases in the first nine months of 2025 to approximately 5,700 during the same period in 2026.
At the Mubi Stabilization Centre, mothers routinely bring their children for nutritional assessments and treatment. Among them is Zulaihatu Mohammed, who arrived with her six-month-old twin, Huseina, for a routine collection of supplementary food.
“When I gave birth to them, this one was tiny,” Mohammed said, explaining that the child had been unwell since birth.
Her experience reflects the challenges confronting families across northeast Nigeria, where prolonged armed conflict, climate-related shocks and economic hardship have disrupted livelihoods, reduced household purchasing power and made access to adequate food increasingly difficult.
The conflict has also restricted agricultural activities in some communities, leaving farmers unable to cultivate their land safely.
Saminu Samiyu Ijaduwa, a farmer, said the threat posed by explosive devices had forced him to limit farming to a small plot close to his home rather than risk travelling farther to access his fields.
“Due to the conflict, going one kilometre out of town to farm could be highly risky. You might not return!” he said.
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Such insecurity has undermined food production and compounded the difficulties families face in obtaining sufficient and nutritious meals. Disruptions to farming and market access have particularly serious consequences for young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women, whose nutritional needs are heightened.
To address the crisis, the ICRC, in partnership with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, supports 15 primary healthcare centres and four hospitals, while assisting more than 200 communities with malnutrition treatment and food-security initiatives.
The interventions include providing farmers with crop varieties suited to drought and flooding, encouraging crop diversification and helping mothers prepare nutritious meals from locally available ingredients.
One of the initiatives promotes Tom Brown, a locally prepared nutritional blend made from sorghum, millet, soybeans, groundnuts and moringa. According to the ICRC, the intervention has helped more than 13,000 young children recover from moderate acute malnutrition.
The programme also trains mothers to prepare the mixture themselves, enabling them to continue providing nutritious food for their children at home.
The ICRC’s latest figures come amid a worsening national food-security outlook. According to United Nations analysis cited by the organisation, more than 34 million people in Nigeria are expected to face insufficient food access in 2026, representing the highest figure in six years.
The analysis also identifies Nigeria as one of the world’s hunger hotspots of highest concern, alongside Sudan, Yemen, Somalia and Gaza.
Nigeria’s food and nutrition challenges have been compounded by approximately 15 years of conflict in the northeast, alongside economic pressures and climate-related disruptions that continue to affect agricultural production and household food access.
The latest increase in malnutrition admissions underscores the need for sustained humanitarian assistance, improved access to healthcare and stronger food-security measures to protect vulnerable households, particularly children and women.
The ICRC said its ongoing interventions seek not only to treat malnutrition but also to strengthen community resilience and help families maintain access to nutritious food despite persistent insecurity and economic hardship.
By PRNigeria
