The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says in 2024 alone, more than 94,000 people were registered as missing by their families with the Family Links Network, bringing the current number of registered missing people to approximately 284,400.
The ICRC Family Link Officer, Mr. Benson Lee, disclosed this on Saturday in Yola during the commemoration of the International Day of the Disappeared.
“Worldwide figures show that in 2024 alone, more than 94,000 people were registered as missing by their families with the Family Links Network, bringing the current number of registered missing people to approximately 284,400. From our experience, this is only a fraction of the true number of missing people out there,” Lee said.
He also revealed that no fewer than 13,595 families are still searching for 23,659 missing persons across Nigeria, pointing out that 59 per cent of those missing were minors at the time of their disappearance, while 67 per cent of the cases occurred in Borno State.
Lee stressed that behind each missing person is a family living in anguish and uncertainty, struggling with the pain of not knowing what happened to their loved ones, adding that the suffering is further compounded by economic, legal, administrative, psychological, and psychosocial challenges.
Mr. Luka Wada, Chairman of the Family Association of Missing Persons, appreciated the ICRC for its concerns and efforts in reuniting missing persons with their families.
“We understand that 80 per cent of the missing persons were as a result of armed conflicts. We thank God we are alive and remembering our loved ones who are still missing,” he said.
He appealed to governments and NGOs to support relatives of the missing, noting that many of them were breadwinners of their families.
Also speaking, Dr. Jamila Suleiman, Chairman of the Adamawa Peace Commission, urged families of the missing to take solace in God, remain prayerful, and not lose hope of reuniting with their loved ones.
“The commission is working to ensure peaceful coexistence across the state to prevent conflicts that could lead to more cases of missing persons,” she said.
Veteran journalist and recipient of A.B.C Yola, Reporter of the Year Award (1997), Hassan Umar Shallpella, works with WAP as a Regional Correspondence. He was trained at Institute of Mass Communication and Technology Jos and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Training School Lagos.He was a News desk Editor and a Correspondent at the Punch newspaper and till 2019, was the Deputy Editor ofThe Scope newspaper.
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