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By: Babagana Bukar Wakil, Maiduguri
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says health facilities it supports in northeast Nigeria have recorded an 18 per cent increase in malnutrition admissions between January and September 2026, compared with the same period last year.
According to the ICRC, admissions at six health centres and four hospitals rose from approximately 17,000 cases in the first nine months of 2025 to nearly 20,000 during the same period in 2026.
The organisation says young children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are among the groups most affected by the worsening nutritional situation.
The ICRC reports that the sharpest increase occurred in Mubi, Adamawa State, where malnutrition admissions rose by nearly 24 per cent, from about 4,600 cases between January and September last year to approximately 5,700 this year.
At the Mubi Stabilisation Centre, mothers continue to bring their young children for nutritional assessments and treatment.
One of them, Zulaihatu Mohammed, who brought her six month old daughter, Huseina, one of her twins, says the child has experienced health challenges since birth.
Zulaihatu says she visited the facility to collect supplementary food for her children but was also concerned about her daughter’s condition.
The ICRC attributes the growing malnutrition crisis in northeast Nigeria to the combined effects of prolonged armed conflict, climate shocks and economic hardship, which have disrupted livelihoods and made access to adequate food increasingly difficult for many families.
The organisation also highlights the dangers farmers face in accessing their farmlands because of explosive devices and insecurity.
A farmer, Saminu Samiyu Ijaduwa, says the security situation has forced him to cultivate a small plot close to his home rather than risk travelling farther to farm.
He says going even a kilometre outside town to reach farmland can be dangerous because farmers may not return safely.
According to the ICRC, insecurity and disruptions to agricultural activities and markets are making it more difficult for families to obtain sufficient food, with young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women particularly vulnerable to the consequences.
To address the situation, 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 programmes.
The organisation says its interventions include providing farmers with seeds suited to drought and flooding, encouraging crop diversification and helping mothers prepare nutritious meals at home.
One of the initiatives involves a locally prepared nutritional blend known as Tom Brown, made from sorghum, millet, soybeans, groundnuts and moringa.
The ICRC says the intervention has helped more than 13,000 young children recover from moderate acute malnutrition, while mothers are trained to prepare the mixture themselves to sustain their children’s nutritional needs at home.
The organisation’s warning comes amid wider concerns over food insecurity in Nigeria.
According to United Nations analysis cited by the ICRC, more than 34 million people in Nigeria are expected to face food insecurity in 2026, the highest projected figure in six years.
The analysis also identifies Nigeria, alongside Sudan, Yemen, Somalia and Gaza, among the world’s hunger hotspots of highest concern.
The ICRC says it continues to work with the Nigerian Red Cross Society and other partners to respond to humanitarian needs and strengthen community resilience in areas affected by conflict and food insecurity.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a humanitarian organisation that has worked since 1863 to protect and assist people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence, while promoting respect for international humanitarian law.
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