Over 17,000 Missing in Nigeria Amid Ongoing Insurgency

Recent figures from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) indicate that over 17,000 individuals are registered as missing in Nigeria, with more than 90 percent of these cases linked to armed conflict and insurgency in the North-East, alongside banditry and mass kidnappings in the North-West and North-Central regions. Specifically, Borno State accounts for approximately 9,000 missing persons, Adamawa for 3,000, and Yobe for 2,500, totaling about 14,500 missing individuals in the North-East.

The ongoing insurgency has left families trapped in a cycle of hope and grief. Personal accounts reveal the emotional toll on families, such as Kashim Mohammed, who lost his half-sister Falmata during a journey to escape Boko Haram attacks, and Hajja Yakura Abatcha, who lost three children during a Boko Haram attack in Baga.

Both families have faced years of anguish and loss, compounded by the disappearance of critical evidence like photographs.