KATSINA, Nigeria – In northern Nigeria, a silent tragedy is tightening its grip. In Katsina State, emaciated children fill hospital wards and therapeutic feeding centres, their fragile frames testifying to a crisis that has spiralled beyond control. The humanitarian group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns that hundreds of children have died from malnutrition in just six months. The state government disputes these figures, insisting it is responding decisively. Yet, behind the numbers lies a devastating reality: families are burying their children, and the world risks looking away.
In this report, Hussaini Ibrahim Kafi, examines the contested statistics, the struggles of families, and the clash between aid agencies and authorities as Katsina confronts one of Nigeria’s gravest humanitarian emergencies.
MSF Raises Alarm: “Hundreds of Children Already Dead”
On Friday, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, announced that 652 children died of severe acute malnutrition between January and June 2025 in Katsina alone.
The organisation, which operates seven centres in the state, revealed it treated nearly 70,000 children within the same period, with almost 10,000 requiring hospitalisation.
“This year alone, 652 children have already died in our facilities because they couldn’t get timely access to care,” said Ahmed Aldikhari, MSF’s country representative.
He linked the worsening crisis to rising poverty, soaring food prices, and sharp cuts in international donor funding from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. Families, Aldikhari warned, now struggle to afford even the most basic food.
The crisis is compounded by the World Food Programme’s suspension of food and nutrition support for 1.3 million Nigerians due to what it called “critical funding shortfalls.”
Stark Numbers: Malnutrition Surges in 2025
MSF data paints a grim picture: cases of nutritional oedema — the most dangerous form of malnutrition — have surged by 200 per cent in 2025 compared to last year.
Since 2022, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has reported a steady rise in the number of children admitted for malnutrition across its facilities in northern Nigeria. The organisation currently operates nutrition programmes in seven states — Borno, Bauchi, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi — where the crisis continues to intensify.
A recent household survey in Kaita Local Government Area found that nine in ten families had reduced daily meals, many even before the annual lean season.
Health experts warn the figures are only a fraction of the true scale. Many deaths occur in remote villages where families cannot reach treatment centres.
Human Stories Behind the Statistics
At an MSF stabilisation centre in Katsina, a young mother sat cradling her malnourished toddler, his thin arms wrapped around her neck. She asked not to be named but shared her ordeal:
“My child was sick, and my neighbour advised me to bring him here. They are giving him medication, Alhamdulillah. But the problem is we don’t have food. Bandits have stopped our husbands from going to farm or work.”
Her words reflect the intersection of insecurity and hunger. Banditry, rampant across rural Katsina, has forced thousands of farmers to abandon their fields, cutting families off from both food and income
Child rights activist Khadija Sulaiman Saulawa believes MSF’s figures understate the crisis. “Many children are dying unreported, especially in rural communities,” she said. “And it is not just children — adults are also dying due to hunger and insecurity.”
Government Denies Figures, Claims Progress
The Katsina State Government disputes MSF’s statistics, insisting the toll is exaggerated.
“The state government has unveiled a holistic agricultural empowerment scheme in partnership with the World Bank and UNICEF. Already, ₦500 million has been approved to tackle this menace,” said Dr Musa Adamu Funtuwa, Commissioner of Health.
He rejected MSF’s claim that 652 children died, vowing to meet the group “to discuss how and where they got their data.”
Acknowledging the Challenge: “Wake-up Call”
Other state officials, however, struck a more cautious tone. Dr Shamsuddeen Yahaya, Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency, admitted MSF’s report was a “wake-up call.”
According to him, the state currently operates 185 outpatient therapeutic centres and 17 stabilisation centres, with over two-thirds managed directly by the government. Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, he said, has released ₦700 million in counterpart funding with UNICEF to strengthen nutrition programmes.
Yet, Yahaya also acknowledged persistent obstacles: misuse of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF), high fertility rates, and preventable childhood illnesses like measles, all of which compound malnutrition.
Governor Radda Sets Up Committee
In response, Governor Radda inaugurated a Special Committee on Malnutrition on August 13 to review MSF’s claims and identify worst-hit communities.
During a July visit to a treatment centre, Radda confessed witnessing “unpleasant scenes” of children wasted by hunger. He admitted that insecurity, poor food production, and harmful marital practices were worsening the crisis.
“We cannot deny that we have a problem of malnutrition — not just in Katsina but across the country. We must act to ensure every child survives,” the governor said.
Star Voices Join the Call
Prominent Nigerian entertainers have also lent their voices. After touring Katsina hospitals in September 2024, UNICEF Global Champions and Kannywood stars Ali Nuhu and Rahama Sadau described the situation as “pathetic.”
“We noticed a rise in the number of malnourished children being brought to health centres. The high number is linked to economic realities faced by many families,” Nuhu said.
Sadau urged stronger commitment from all stakeholders: “We cannot relent. The only way to guarantee a better future for children is to tackle malnutrition head-on.”
Beyond Katsina: A National Crisis
Katsina is not alone. Across northern Nigeria, malnutrition remains a deadly threat. Experts link the crisis to low agricultural productivity, climate change, armed conflict, and weak healthcare systems.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that two million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition annually in Nigeria, with hundreds of thousands at risk of death without treatment.
With donor cuts deepening, humanitarian groups warn that Nigeria could face an unprecedented hunger emergency unless urgent steps are taken.
A Crisis Demanding Action
As MSF and the Katsina State Government clash over figures, the reality on the ground remains stark: children are dying from hunger in one of Nigeria’s largest states.
Behind each statistic lies a grieving parent and a life cut short. While funding debates and political disagreements continue, families like that of the anonymous young mother in Hotoron Yan Dodo face the daily battle of survival.
Malnutrition in Katsina is more than a health challenge — it is a test of Nigeria’s ability to protect its most vulnerable citizens. Without urgent, united action, the graves of innocent children will continue to multiply in silence.
