Malnutrition admissions at 10 health facilities supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in north-eastern Nigeria rose 18 per cent in the first nine months of 2026.

The facilities recorded nearly 20,000 admissions between January and September, up from about 17,000 in the same period of 2025, the ICRC said in a statement on Thursday.

The figures cover six health centres and four hospitals. Young children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers were among those most affected.

Mubi in Adamawa State saw the sharpest rise, from about 4,600 admissions in the first nine months of 2025 to approximately 5,700 this year, an increase of nearly 24 per cent.

The latest numbers follow earlier ICRC warnings about rising demand for nutritional treatment in conflict-affected areas.

In October 2024, the organisation reported a 24 per cent increase in severe acute malnutrition admissions between the third quarters of 2023 and 2024, from 6,824 to 8,470.

Admissions of children under five with severe acute malnutrition and medical complications also rose from 1,212 to 1,691 in the same period.

These figures cover different reporting periods and patient categories and cannot establish a continuous three-year trend.

They do, however, show repeated increases in demand for nutritional treatment.

Mothers struggle

At the Mubi Stabilisation Centre, Zulaihatu Mohammed brought her six-month-old daughter, Huseina, one of her twins, for nutritional support.

“When I gave birth to them, this one was tiny,” she told the ICRC. “I came today for the routine collection of children’s food. She is not feeling well. Since I gave birth to her, she has been unwell.”

Armed violence, climate shocks and economic pressures have disrupted livelihoods and limited access to food.

According to the ICRC’s video report, farmer Saminu Ijaduwa cultivates a small plot near his home because explosive devices have made more distant fields dangerous.

“Due to the conflict, going one kilometre out of town to farm could be highly risky. You might not return!” he said in the ICRC report.

Restrictions on farming and disrupted markets have made it harder for families to produce or buy enough food, particularly affecting young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Humanitarian response

In a March 2026 report, the ICRC said more than 36,000 people received treatment for severe acute malnutrition at its supported facilities in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states during 2025.

The total included more than 16,000 children under five and more than 19,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women.

The organisation also provided cash assistance to more than 17,000 vulnerable families during the 2025 lean season.

Those annual treatment figures are not directly comparable with the new nine-month admission totals.

The ICRC said it is working with the Nigerian Red Cross Society to support 15 primary healthcare centres and four hospitals and to assist more than 200 communities with malnutrition treatment and food-security programmes.

Interventions include supplying farmers with seeds adapted to drought and flooding, promoting crop diversification and teaching mothers to prepare nutritious meals from local ingredients.

One such mixture of sorghum, millet, soybeans, groundnuts and moringa, known as Tom Brown, has helped more than 13,000 young children recover from moderate acute malnutrition, according to the ICRC. Mothers are also taught how to prepare it at home.

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Wider food insecurity

The rise in admissions comes as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) identify Nigeria among the world’s hunger hotspots of highest concern in their June to November 2026 outlook.

Citing United Nations analysis, the ICRC said more than 34 million people in Nigeria were expected to face insufficient access to food in 2026, the highest figure in six years.

In the North-east, prolonged conflict continues to restrict access to farmland and undermine household livelihoods, according to the ICRC.

The Assembly of Healthcare Professionals has declared a seven-day warning strike over the state government’s failure to address its demands for improved allowances and salary adjustments fully.

The assembly’s chairman, Ibrahim Balange, announced the decision on Wednesday, saying the strike would begin at midnight on 14 October.

The unions under the assembly include the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and the National Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP).

Mr Balange said the assembly issued a seven-day strike notice to the government on 7 October, but the expiration of the notice did not yield satisfactory resolution of the outstanding issues.

He said the struggle for improved allowances began in 2024, when the state government indicated its intention to review the benefits of healthcare professionals in line with what is obtained in the federal government service.

According to him, the workers were shortchanged during the implementation of the minimum wage, prompting them to complain that the salary table approved for their members differed from what they were being paid.

He said a committee was later established to investigate the matter and made recommendations in March 2025, but the government had not yet implemented them.

Mr Balange explained that the workers were later engaged by the Office of Public Service Reform, which offered them 10 per cent of the difference between their salaries and those of their counterparts in federal institutions.

He said the assembly rejected the offer and issued a three-week ultimatum to the government, which was later extended by one week following further engagements.

According to him, the workers suspended plans to commence a strike on 7 September after some stakeholders intervened and promised to address their concerns.

He, however, said the assembly was later informed that the governor had approved a 15 per cent increment, only five percentage points higher than the previous offer.

Mr Balange expressed dissatisfaction that the assembly was not involved in preparing the salary adjustment table or determining the increment before the decision was communicated to it.

He said the assembly demanded full implementation of the allowances and salary structure applicable to healthcare professionals in the federal government service, but had indicated its willingness to accept 75 per cent as a compromise.

“Some of our members have not even agreed to 75 per cent, but we have to look at the matter holistically and consider how to move forward,” he said.

Mr Balange warned that the disparity in remuneration could undermine the state’s healthcare system, noting that Katsina had previously been regarded as one of the states with relatively attractive healthcare employment conditions.

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He said the assembly remained open to negotiations with the government but insisted on improving the allowances to ensure fairness and retain healthcare professionals in the state.

The chairman said the assembly would reconvene after the seven-day warning strike to review the outcome and decide on next steps.

He warned that failure to reach an agreement with the government could lead to an ultimatum for an indefinite strike, adding that the industrial action was being undertaken in accordance with labour laws.

Mr Balange apologised to the government and the public for any inconvenience the strike might cause, while reaffirming the assembly’s commitment to protecting its members’ welfare and professional interests. (NAN)