The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has released its April Consumer Price Index, revealing that Benue, Ekiti, and Kebbi states recorded the highest year-on-year food inflation rates in Nigeria.

According to the report released on Thursday, Benue State topped the list with a staggering 51.76 percent food inflation rate, followed by Ekiti with 34.05 percent and Kebbi with 33.82 percent.

The high food inflation rate in Benue may be linked to the recent surge in attacks in the North Central state over the past two months, which has resulted in numerous casualties and displacements.

In contrast, Ebonyi (7.19 percent), Adamawa (9.52 percent), and Ogun (9.91 percent) recorded the slowest rise in food inflation on a year-on-year basis.

On a month-on-month basis, Benue again led with the highest food inflation rise at 25.59 percent, followed by Ekiti at 16.73 percent and Yobe at 13.92 percent. Meanwhile, Ebonyi (-14.43 percent), Kano (-11.37 percent), and Ogun (-7.06 percent) recorded declines in month-on-month food inflation.

The NBS data showed that Nigeria's headline food inflation stood at 21.26 percent in April on a year-on-year basis. The April food inflation rate was 2.06 percent, slightly down from 2.18 percent recorded in March 2025.

This downward trend was attributed to "the rate of decrease in the average prices of maize (corn) flour, wheat grain, dried okra, yam flour, soybeans, rice, Bambara beans, and brown beans," according to the NBS report.

Nigeria's headline inflation also cooled off to 23.71 percent in April from 24.23 percent in March, showing a slight improvement in the overall inflation situation.

The report provides valuable insights into the economic challenges facing different regions of Nigeria, particularly in terms of food security and affordability.