For thousands of Nigerian families, the search for missing relatives continues years after conflict and insecurity disrupted their lives, with the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, estimating that about 17,000 people remain unaccounted for.
The ICRC disclosed the figure on Wednesday in Yola, Adamawa State, ahead of the International Day of the Disappeared, observed annually on August 30. The organisation said about 3,000 of the documented cases are from Adamawa State.
The latest figure represents a decline from the 23,659 missing persons recorded by the ICRC last year. However, the organisation stressed that the figures cover cases documented by its tracing services and are used to help families locate missing relatives and restore contact where possible.
The issue remains particularly significant in communities affected by insurgency and other conflicts across the North-East. For relatives, however, the absence of information about a loved one means that uncertainty continues long after the immediate violence has ended.
In Yola, families of missing persons joined a public sanitation exercise, street cleaning, remembrance and awareness campaign organised with ICRC support. The activities were designed not only to mark the upcoming international day but also to keep public attention on families still waiting for answers.
Among those taking part was Habiba Mustapha, an indigene of Gwoza in Borno State who was displaced to Adamawa. She said four members of her family remain missing, leaving relatives to deal with prolonged emotional and financial difficulties, particularly where those missing were responsible for supporting their households.
The ICRC says the reduction in documented cases is encouraging, but thousands of families are still without information about their loved ones. As the world prepares to mark the International Day of the Disappeared, relatives in Nigeria continue to call attention to their situation and the need to sustain efforts to establish the whereabouts of those still missing.
