According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), no fewer than 25,000 persons have been reported missing in Nigeria in the last ten years.
The Public Relations Officer of ICRC Nigeria, Aliyu Dawobe, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Abuja. He said the missing people were those whose relatives reported and registered their cases with the charity organization.
He said: “ICRC Nigeria started family unification in 2013 in Nigeria alongside the Nigerian Red Cross society. The 25,000 missing persons are only a fraction of people who are aware that ICRC is helping to reunite separated/missing family members. They register their cases and there are over 25,000 cases of such.
“Though, this figure could drop because some people can get reunited with their families without the ICRC knowing or being informed.”
Dawobe also stated that in the last nine months, more than 400 people were traced and contact with their families was restored, while the families of 563 people in detention received news about their loved ones.
He said: “In addition, 580 civilians were able to restore contact with their families through Red Cross Messages, while 17 unaccompanied children were reunited with their families from January to September 2023.”
He revealed further that the ICRC is currently organizing an international conference for the families of missing persons with the aim of gathering families of missing persons from all over the world to share their problems and coping mechanisms over the years.
