Authorities in Nigeria's northeastern Adamawa state on Sunday imposed a statewide round-the-clock curfew to stop widespread looting of food stores in Yola.

The looting saw hundreds of residents break into public and private warehouses storing grains and other commodities and cart them away.

"The Governor of Adamawa State... Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has declared a 24-hour curfew on the state, effective immediately Sunday 30th July, 2023," Humwashi Wonosikou, the governor's spokesman, said in a statement.

Security officers have been sent out to enforce the curfew, according to Yahaya Nguroje, the police spokesman for the state of Adamawa.

Nigeria, the most populous and wealthiest nation in Africa, stopped its fuel subsidy programme last month, which caused petrol prices to quadruple and food prices to rise.

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The recession and the effects of COVID-19 have hurt Nigeria's economy, making living difficult for its 215 million people, about half of whom survive on less than $2 per day.

Residents of Yola are seen in online camera footage stealing grain sacks, pasta cartons, and other household supplies from a NEMA warehouse in Nigeria.

Earlier this year, the United Nations predicted that more than 25 million Nigerians would be a "high risk" of food insecurity in 2023.