International humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has raised alarm over an escalating malnutrition crisis in northern Nigeria, revealing that more than 650 children have died from severe acute malnutrition in Katsina State this year alone.
In a statement issued at the weekend, MSF’s Country Representative in Nigeria, Ahmed Aldikhari, said the organisation has witnessed a surge in critically ill children brought to its treatment centres across Katsina.
“Between January and June 2025, we treated nearly 70,000 malnourished children, including almost 10,000 requiring hospitalisation. Sadly, 652 children died in our facilities because they couldn’t get timely access to care,” Aldikhari disclosed.
The crisis is being aggravated by drastic cuts in international aid, with major donors such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union reducing funding. The World Food Programme (WFP) recently announced that it will suspend emergency food aid for 1.3 million people in Northeast Nigeria by the end of July due to “critical funding shortfalls.”
MSF reported a 200% surge in cases of nutritional oedema, the deadliest form of malnutrition, compared to the same period last year. The organisation also warned that food insecurity is not limited to children, revealing that over 50% of 750 mothers screened at its centres were malnourished, with 13% suffering from severe malnutrition.
Aldikhari described the situation as “beyond predictions”, adding:
“An increasing number of families cannot afford food, even though it is available in the markets.”
To address the emergency, MSF has expanded its operations in Katsina, opening a new outpatient feeding centre in Mashi and an additional inpatient unit in Turai, bringing its total bed capacity in the state to 900 beds.
However, MSF warned that the crisis is compounded by disease outbreaks, poor vaccine coverage, limited healthcare access, and insecurity in northern Nigeria.
Dr. Hamza Bello, a senior MSF doctor in Kebbi State, said the organisation has recorded a 74% increase in admissions for malnourished children in Kebbi from January to June 2025. “On some days, we have up to 400 children admitted in a single facility,” he lamented.
Vice President Kashim Shettima recently declared malnutrition a national emergency, noting that it robs nearly 40% of Nigerian children under five of their physical and cognitive potential.
MSF treated over 300,000 malnourished children across seven northern states in 2024, but in the first half of 2025 alone, nearly 100,000 children have been treated in the Northwest.
