Other armed groups are also active in Nigeria. Particularly in the northeast, women and children are abducted and forced to take part in suicide attacks. Strapped with explosive belts, they are sent into cities to spread death and destruction, instilling widespread fear among the population.
Millions of people have fled their homes and sought safety in urban areas, placing enormous pressure on cities. In some locations, the population has doubled due to the influx of displaced people. Large displacement camps have emerged around urban centers, including a camp near Bama that shelters approximately 100,000 Nigerians. At the same time, food insecurity has worsened as inflation - driven by fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange fluctuations - continues to rise.
The massive influx of displaced people is also straining access to clean drinking water, food, and shelter, fuelling new tensions and conflicts. In late July 2025, Médecins Sans Frontières warned of alarming levels of malnutrition among children and a growing number of adults. The United Nations has expressed serious concern about Nigeria’s food situation, with 31 million people at risk of famine. Since 2024, soaring inflation has further exacerbated the crisis, making basic food increasingly unaffordable.
ZOA in Nigeria
ZOA has been providing emergency assistance in Nigeria since 2016 and is now at the forefront of humanitarian efforts, delivering life-saving aid, livelihood support, and resilience-building programmes in Northern and Southern Borno and Yobe States.
Cash Distribution
ZOA supports vulnerable people through monthly cash assistance programmes in Monguno and Jere, with at least 80 per cent of the cash spent on food. The selected households are among the most vulnerable, including female-headed families, pregnant and lactating women, and elderly people, many of whom have exhausted their resources and resorted to negative coping strategies such as survival sex, begging, eating fewer meals, and accumulating debt.
As a result of ZOA’s intervention, malnutrition rates are declining, food security is improving, and women and girls are less vulnerable to violence and sexual exploitation. Despite warnings of famine, the worst-case scenario has been prevented in the project areas. Cash assistance is delivered through the RedRose digital platform, using e-cards or e-vouchers and biometric authentication.
