The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says admission for malnutrition have risen by 18 per cent at six health centres and four hospitals it supported in North-East Nigeria, increasing from 17,000 between January and September 2025 to nearly 20,000 in 2026.
The ICRC’s Public Relations Officer, Aliyu Dawobe, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
Dawobe highlighted worsening nutritional challenges among vulnerable populations in conflict-affected communities.
“In Mubi, Adamawa, malnutrition admissions increased by nearly 24 per cent, rising from approximately 4,600 cases between January and September 2025 to about 5,700 during the same period in 2026.
“At the Mubi Stabilisation Centre, mothers bring their children for nutritional assessments and treatment, while some also collect specialised food provided to support the recovery of malnourished children,” he said.
Dawobe said one of the mothers, Zulaihatu Mohammed, brought her six-month-old daughter, Huseina, one of her twins, for routine food collection and assessment because the child had been unwell since birth.
Zulaihat said, “When I gave birth to them, this one was tiny.”
She explained that she had visited the centre to collect children’s food and sought help for her ailing daughter.
Dawobe said, her experience reflects the difficulties confronting families across northeast Nigeria, where prolonged armed conflict, climate-related shocks and economic hardship have disrupted livelihoods, reduced food access and increased malnutrition risks.
He said farmer Saminu Ijaduwa reported that insecurity had forced him to restrict cultivation to a small plot near his home, limiting farming opportunities and food production.
He said restricted farmland access and disrupted markets made obtaining adequate food increasingly difficult for families, with particularly serious consequences for young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
According to him, the ICRC’s interventions combine malnutrition treatment with community-based food security initiatives to improve access to nutritious meals and help vulnerable households cope with conflict-related challenges.
Dawobe said the statement was issued to commemorate World Food Day, observed annually on October 16, as concerns mount over worsening food insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable populations in northeast Nigeria.