Abstract:

This study critically examines the developmental implications of the 2025 suspension of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funding in Northeastern and North Central Nigeria, focusing on conflict-related deaths between 2021 and 2025. Using an ex-post facto research design and documentary analysis of secondary data, the research explores how the withdrawal of humanitarian assistance intensified mortality, food insecurity, and displacement in conflict-prone states such as Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Plateau, and Benue. Findings reveal that the suspension of USAID funds coincided with a surge in both direct and indirect fatalities—ranging from insurgent attacks in the Northeast to farmer–herder and communal clashes in the North Central region. The data show that aid withdrawal exacerbated malnutrition, maternal and child mortality, and the collapse of essential services such as healthcare, nutrition, and protection programs in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. Grounded in Human Security Theory, the study argues that human insecurity in fragile contexts transcends physical violence to encompass deprivation and the loss of access to life-sustaining resources. The research concludes that donor withdrawal amplifies humanitarian crises and undermines regional development resilience. It recommends renewed donor engagement, strengthened local peacebuilding initiatives, and integrated humanitarian–development responses to mitigate the compounded effects of conflict and aid suspension.