ICRC Reports 17,000 Missing Persons in Nigeria

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has reported that approximately 17,000 missing-person cases are currently under active tracing in Nigeria, with many linked to insurgency, armed conflict, communal violence, and displacement, particularly in the North-East. This announcement was made ahead of the International Day of the Disappeared on August 30.

Emeline Montel, the Protection of Family Links Delegate at the ICRC office in Mubi, stated that around 3,000 cases are from Adamawa State. The ICRC clarified that the reduction from 23,659 cases does not indicate that 6,000 people have been found, but reflects cases where contact with families is still maintained.

The ICRC and Nigerian Red Cross Society have worked on about 24,000 cases over the years. Families of missing persons participated in a remembrance campaign in Yola to raise awareness about their emotional and economic hardships.

Habiba Mustapha, a member of the Association of Families of Disappeared Persons, shared her distress over the disappearance of four family members.