Sex-for-Food Scandal in Niger IDP Camps: Hunger, Exploitation, and Broken Promises to Displaced Women

Story, Written By springnewsng August 27.2025

Severe food shortages in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps across Niger State have pushed vulnerable women into situations where survival often comes at the cost of dignity. An investigation has uncovered a disturbing pattern of sexual exploitation by officials who demand sex in exchange for food aid.

Gambo’s Ordeal: Exploited by an Official

At just 18, Gambo* fled bandit attacks in Shiroro LGA and found refuge with her family at the Kuta IDP camp. By 22, she alleged that a camp official, Idris “Umar” Ismail, exploited her family’s desperation, offering food and money in exchange for sexual favours.

“I was impregnated by an official who promised to support my family. But when I got pregnant, he denied responsibility,” Gambo told investigators.

Shamed by her community and abandoned by her fiancé, Gambo was forced into an abortion. She and her family eventually left the camp in 2024, still facing hunger and stigma.

A Widespread Crisis of Abuse

Gambo’s experience reflects a broader pattern in Niger’s IDP camps:

• Kauna, 30, described coordinated exploitation by camp staff who preyed on vulnerable women.
• Mercy, 21, said her name was removed from a food distribution list after she rejected a camp official’s sexual advances in Gunu camp.
• Kande, 23, recalled being told her food ration depended on “cooperation” with male officials at Gadima Kogo camp.

In each case, women were forced to choose between hunger and abuse. Those who resisted were cut off from food supplies.

‘We Sleep on Empty Stomachs’

For many displaced families, the crisis is not only about exploitation but also starvation. Hauwa Askari, who has spent nine years in Kuta camp with her children and grandchildren, said:

“Sometimes we sleep with empty stomachs, without hope of food the next day. In the early years, government support was strong, but now it is gone.”

UNICEF Data Paints a Global and Local Picture

A recent UNICEF report highlights the global scale of sexual abuse:

• Over 370 million women and girls worldwide have been sexually assaulted before age 18.
• Sub-Saharan Africa bears the highest burden, with 79 million victims.
• Nigeria, in particular, faces overlapping crises of sexual violence, child marriage, and early pregnancy—with 43% of girls married before 18 and 21% of teenage girls already mothers.

Budget Promises vs. Harsh Reality

Despite Niger State’s ₦1.55 trillion “Budget of Hope for Sustainability and Food Security” (2025)—including ₦100 billion earmarked for aid and grants—conditions in the camps remain dire. Many women still report sleeping hungry while officials enrich themselves.

An Economy of Exploitation

Beyond hunger, IDPs face pressure to work in unsafe artisanal mining sites and on bandit-controlled farms just to survive. Hunger has become a weapon of control, while exploitation deepens the trauma of displacement.

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Key Takeaways

• Food shortages in Niger IDP camps have enabled systematic sexual exploitation.
• Victims face stigma, cancelled marriages, and unwanted pregnancies.
• Despite massive state allocations, aid rarely reaches the most vulnerable.
• Hunger and insecurity continue to trap displaced women in cycles of abuse.