INSECURITY: INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS DECLARES OVER 24,000 NIGERIANS MISSING
Written by darling on September 2, 2024
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) recently revealed that 24,025 persons are missing in Nigeria, and her analysis indicated that more of the missing persons come from the North East of the country.
The group also said that over ten years of Boko Haram terror in the North East was responsible for displaced persons, kidnap and killings in states like Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.
Head of the International Red Cross Society sub-delegation office, Lillian Dube stated this during the commemoration of the World Day of Disappeared Persons in Maiduguri, adding that these cases were documented in collaboration with the Nigeria Red Cross Society (NRCS).
According to her, “We have registered 24,025 people as missing, a number that likely represents only a fraction of the actual total.
“More than half of these cases involved children at the time of their disappearance.”
She further explained that 492 cases have been resolved, while 1,364 families have received news clarifying the fate of their missing loved ones.
Currently, she stated that 618 separated children that are still searching for their relatives, are being closely monitored by the ICRC and NRCS, stressing that four children, either separated or unaccompanied minors, have been successfully reunited with their families.
Dube said that the ICRC has also exchanged 1,286 messages, including from those in detention, to re-establish contact between separated family members.
Additionally, they facilitated seven phone calls to help reconnect families.
She said that over 600 families have received psychosocial, economic, legal and administrative support through the ICRC’s accompaniment programme, to address the psychological and emotional impact on the families of the missing.
The Head of the ICRC’s sub-delegation office observed that messages on how to prevent separations have been widely disseminated through various channels, including radio, posters, leaflets and social media, to raise awareness about the importance of staying in touch with family members during uncertain times.
She added that 8,788 names of missing persons have been broadcast on the radio and announced in communities, encouraging anyone with information to contact family members, searching for them.
