Nutitionist, Bukar Alhaji Bukar, told RNI yesterday that the rate of malnourished children has increased by 5% in the Kawar Maila IDP Camp in the Borno state capital Maiduguri.

He said that the main issue is the lack of security for farmers, meaning they have difficulties farming and getting their produce to market.

Zara Muhammed, a lactating mothe in the camp, said that sometimes they give biscuits or flour to their children but it usually leads to stomach pain. She stressed that the the difficulty of providing good food is due to rises in food prices.

Maryam Muhammad , another woman in the camp, expressed sadness and  said that the high cost of living has contributed to the increase in malnourished children.

In Nigeria as a whole research done by the International committee of Red Cross (ICRC), suggests an increase in malnutrition rates among children in nutrition centers as the number treated by the outpatient nutrition program grew by 20 percent, while the number of severe malnutrition cases rose by 10% compared to last year – especially in the Northeast.