Families of Missing Persons Share Agony in Adamawa

During a gathering in Yola, Adamawa State, families of missing persons expressed their emotional agony on the International Day of the Disappeared, observed annually on August 30. Secretary of the Missing Persons Families Association, Joshua Audu, articulated the daily anxiety faced by families who do not know the fate of their loved ones.

He noted that the uncertainty leads to both emotional stress and economic hardships, especially when the missing individuals are primary breadwinners. Nigeria has an estimated 17,000 missing persons, with the North-East region, particularly Borno State (9,000), Adamawa (3,000), and Yobe (2,500), being significantly affected by insurgency-related disappearances.

Emeline Montel, the Protection Family Links Team Leader with the Mubi Sub-Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), emphasized the profound emotional, psychosocial, and economic consequences of such disappearances. The ICRC is actively involved in supporting affected families through search efforts and maintaining contact with them in Adamawa State.