Inside the Battle to Save Northern Children from a Malnutrition Crisis Fuelled by Theft, Conflict and Failing Systems
Hussaini Ibrahim 
KANO, Nigeria – In northern Nigeria, where conflict and climate pressures collide with weak public systems, child malnutrition has become an entrenched emergency that refuses to fade. For years, humanitarian agencies have kept thousands of children alive through therapeutic feeding programmes. Yet, as Hussani Ibrahim writes, this fragile lifeline is now being sabotaged from within — by diversion, theft, poor oversight, and the slow decay of frontline health systems. The result is a crisis that reveals as much about governance failures as it does about hunger.
A Region Where Childhood is Under Siege
Northern Nigeria continues to bear the heaviest malnutrition burden in the country. An estimated 2 million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), while undernutrition — whether chronic or acute — accounts for nearly half of all deaths among children under five.
In the conflict-affected states of the North-East and North-West, the combination of insecurity, displacement, climate shocks, and a chronically underfunded health system has pushed families to the edge. Survival, for many children, is no longer guaranteed without emergency nutritional support.
Across Maiduguri’s crowded clinics, mothers queue before dawn, clutching weak and listless children. Their silence is heavy, their urgency unmistakable.
Amid them is Hadiza, a young, displaced mother. Her son lies limp against her shoulder — a child whose tiny body reflects the brutal mathematics of malnutrition.
“He no longer cries,” she tells AHR quietly. “The strength has gone.”
For families like hers, Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) — a peanut-based paste enriched with essential nutrients — is not just an intervention. It is the final barrier between life and death.
When Lifesaving Food Becomes a Target
But even this last line of defence is now under threat. Last week, UNICEF issued a grave warning: therapeutic food supplies in Borno and Adamawa are being stolen, diverted, and illegally sold in markets and online.
Speaking in Maiduguri, Joseph Senesie, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, described the situation as spiralling: “For a child to die because the product meant for them is stolen is alarming to us. When people sell these commodities, they deprive children and cause preventable deaths. Donors will also stop giving support.”
According to UNICEF officials, the diversion of therapeutic food — a commodity provided free and meant strictly for children with severe acute malnutrition — is now one of the most disruptive threats to nutrition programmes in the region.
An internal review identified traders, transporters, and some health workers as being complicit in the theft and resale of supplies. UNICEF has urged law enforcement authorities to respond swiftly and ensure seized items are immediately returned to the Ministry of Health rather than left to spoil in police storage.
“Nutrition commodities are free; they must not be diverted, sold, or transported without proper documentation,” Senesie insisted.
A Symptom of Systemic Failure
Experts argue that the theft of RUTF is not merely a criminal issue — it is evidence of deeper institutional collapse.
A nutrition and child health expert, speaking to AHR, put it bluntly: “This is not only a theft problem — it reflects gaps in governance, monitoring, and the health system itself.”
Dr Hassana, another health specialist, explained that children in northern Nigeria face “multiple layers of vulnerability” due to insecurity, poverty, and weak health facilities.
“Even when nutrition supplies arrive, weak oversight allows them to be siphoned off. The result is preventable morbidity and mortality.”
The Borno Assembly Moves to Act
The revelations have sparked political action. During a meeting with UNICEF officials, Maina Mustapha, Chairman of the Borno State House Committee on Health, announced plans to criminalise the diversion and resale of therapeutic foods.
He did not mince words: “We claim we are poor, yet people choose personal gain over using these items for our children. It is shameful.”
The Assembly pledged closer collaboration with UNICEF under the Federal Government’s N-774 initiative, designed to strengthen community-level nutrition systems nationwide. In Borno — the “N-27” component — local oversight committees will be established in all 27 LGAs to monitor supply chains and identify gaps early.
AHR’s reporting indicates these committees will involve local officials, health practitioners, and community volunteers — a grassroots approach intended to reduce theft and improve accountability.
The Deeper Drivers: Conflict, Climate and Collapse
Even without the diversion crisis, the drivers of malnutrition in northern Nigeria remain severe and deeply rooted.
Weak health systems: Most rural clinics are understaffed, poorly equipped, or inaccessible due to insecurity. Many cases of child malnutrition are detected too late.
Dr Hassan summarised it succinctly: “This is not only a food crisis — it is a health system crisis.”
Lessons from Katsina: What Political Will Can Deliver
Some northern states are showing signs of progress. Katsina State, for instance, has expanded primary healthcare services, set up dedicated nutrition units, and contributed financially to the Federal Government–UNICEF Child Nutrition Fund — a move praised by development partners.
A senior Katsina health official told AHR: “For the first time, we are planning our RUTF needs a year ahead. The Fund gives us stability.”
The state is also exploring local RUTF production, which could reduce costs and dependency on imports — a potentially game-changing move for long-term sustainability.
Communities Filling the Gaps
Despite donor fatigue and funding cuts in Yobe and Zamfara, community-level efforts remain resilient. Women’s groups and volunteer networks continue to identify malnutrition cases early and guide mothers toward care.
In Dutsin-Ma, Katsina, 22-year-old Sadiya recalls how neighbours saved her child’s life: “They told me it was not spiritual. Going to the clinic saved him.”
A Fight Against Time
Northern Nigeria’s malnutrition crisis is not inevitable. It is the product of overlapping failures — in governance, oversight, health delivery, and protection of critical resources.
The push by the Borno Assembly to criminalise RUTF diversion, coupled with UNICEF’s demand for enforcement, signals a renewed urgency to safeguard the fragile pipeline that keeps thousands of children alive.
For mothers like Hadiza, every missed shipment, every stolen carton, every delayed intervention carries a human cost.
Whether the region reverses its malnutrition trends will depend on how quickly authorities act — and how firmly they protect the supplies that represent the last hope for the region’s most vulnerable children.
About the Author
Korede Abdullah 
Oluwafunbi Bello 
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius