Nigeria’s escalating violence: a forgotten humanitarian crisis

Recent months have seen a surge in violence across Nigeria, with school kidnappings, village attacks, and abductions of worshippers from both churches and mosques thrusting the country back into the global spotlight. The situation took a geopolitical turn when the United States launched airstrikes on Christmas Day against jihadist positions in northern Nigeria, framed by Washington as a protective measure for Christian communities under threat.

Widening insecurity beyond religious divides

While the international narrative often frames the crisis as a religious conflict, the reality is far more complex. The United Nations warns that Nigeria’s insecurity has expanded beyond any single region, engulfing nearly the entire nation.

Mohamed Malik Fall, UN Country Coordinator in Nigeria, emphasizes the breadth of the challenge: « Security remains one of the country’s most pressing issues. It’s no longer confined to one area—it’s everywhere. »

A decade-long insurgency with devastating consequences

The crisis originated in the northeast in 2009 with the rise of Boko Haram, followed by splinter groups like the Islamic State’s West Africa Province. Nearly two decades later, the conflict has left deep scars:

• Over 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), many of whom have spent their entire lives in camps
• More than 40,000 deaths since the insurgency began
• Thousands of schools and healthcare facilities destroyed
• Agricultural lands rendered inaccessible, cutting off livelihoods
• Populations stripped of economic opportunities and human dignity

Expanding violence: banditry, farmer-herder clashes, and separatist tensions

The insurgency’s reach has been compounded by other forms of violence:

• Banditry in the northwest: States like Zamfara, Katsina, and Sokoto face armed criminal gangs that kidnap, loot, and extort. Entire villages have been abandoned, with approximately 1 million displaced in this region alone.
• Farmer-herder conflicts in the central belt, fueled by land disputes, population pressure, and climate change, have triggered further displacement.
• Southern separatist movements and sabotage linked to oil exploitation add to the instability.

With 3.5 million internally displaced people, Nigeria accounts for nearly 10% of Africa’s total displaced population.

Religious violence or widespread insecurity?

Recent high-profile attacks on Christian churches and schools—including the abduction of over 160 worshippers in Kaduna State in January and assaults on villages in the northwest—have reignited debates about targeted persecution. The 2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping remains a stark reminder of Boko Haram’s brutality.

However, the UN cautions against framing the crisis as a « Christian genocide. » Fall clarifies: « The vast majority of the 40,000+ deaths in the insurgency are Muslim civilians killed in mosques. » He points to a Christmas Eve attack in Maiduguri that struck a mosque and market, killing Muslim worshippers. « Insecurity affects everyone, regardless of religion or ethnicity. »

The danger, he warns, lies in narratives that could deepen social divisions rather than foster unity.

Nigeria’s humanitarian emergency: underfunded and worsening

Behind the security crisis lies a severe humanitarian emergency. In the northeast alone, 7.2 million people require assistance, with nearly 6 million in severe or critical conditions. Food insecurity looms large:

• Up to 36 million Nigerians may face food insecurity in the coming months
• Over 3.5 million children under five risk acute malnutrition, with long-term cognitive and developmental consequences
• Climate shocks (droughts, floods), recurring epidemics (cholera, meningitis), and a fragile healthcare system exacerbate the crisis

Funding has plummeted in recent years:

• 2020: Nearly $1 billion allocated
• 2024: $585 million
• 2025 (projected): Less than $200 million

Africa’s largest economy at a crossroads

Nigeria’s paradox lies in its dual identity: a humanitarian crisis unfolding within one of Africa’s most resource-rich nations. Fall stresses: « Nigeria is not Sudan, Somalia, or South Sudan. It has the capacity to lead its response. The primary responsibility rests with the government. »

The UN advocates for a gradual transfer of humanitarian leadership to federal and state authorities while urging donors not to turn away. « No community wants to depend on aid indefinitely, » Fall notes. « People need economic opportunities, not just handouts. Giving a fish feeds for a day; teaching to fish sustains a lifetime. »