17,000 Nigerians Missing Amid North-East Insurgency Crisis

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that approximately 17,000 Nigerians are still unaccounted for, primarily due to attacks in the insurgency-affected North-East and other conflict zones. This update was provided on Wednesday, ahead of the International Day of the Disappeared, observed annually on August 30.

The current figure shows a decrease of about 6,000 from the previous year, when 23,659 missing persons were reported. Emeline Montel, the Protection of Family Links Delegate at the ICRC Mubi office, stated that around 3,000 of the missing individuals are from Adamawa State.

The ICRC assists families in tracing missing relatives and restoring contact. During a public sanitation exercise in Yola, relatives of missing persons expressed their struggles, highlighting that many of the missing were breadwinners, which has led to prolonged emotional and economic difficulties for their families.

Habiba Mustapha, a member of the Association of Families of Disappeared Persons, shared her personal hardships due to the disappearance of four relatives.