The International Committee of the Red Cross, (ICRC), says more than 23,659 people remain missing in Nigeria, leaving 13,595 families in anguish, most of them women struggling with uncertainty and hardship.
Protection of Family Links Team Leader of ICRC in Damaturu, Ishaku Luka, disclosed this yesterday, during activities to mark the International Day of the Disappeared.
He said 68 percent of those still searching for answers were women, while 59 percent of those missing were minors at the time of their disappearance.
According to him, Yobe state alone accounts for 2,500 cases, the majority recorded in Gujba local government area. “Behind every missing person is a family living in pain, uncertainty, and economic difficulty. The anguish is compounded by legal, administrative, and psychosocial challenges. These families deserve acknowledgement, care and support”, Luka said.
He explained that the issue of missing persons was one of the most devastating consequences of armed conflicts, disasters, and migration. He urged parties to conflicts, authorities, and communities to take greater responsibility in preventing disappearances.
Sharing ICRC’s interventions, Luka said by June 30, the organisation had collected 451 new cases in Nigeria, and closed 515 cases. He added that the organisation had facilitated the reunification of seven separated children with their families.
Head of ICRC sub-delegation in Damaturu, Rashid Hassan, said families of the missing should not be left alone in their struggles. “Time does not heal. Acknowledgement, answers and respect do. Families must know that their loved ones are not forgotten and their demands are heard”, Hassan stressed.
He said the ICRC, working with the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), had provided mental health and psychosocial support, livelihood assistance, and orientation programmes for families of missing persons in Borno and Adamawa states.
