The International Committee of the Red Cross Nigeria on Wednesday said Nigeria has documented a caseload of over 25,000 missing individuals registered with the Red Cross over the past decade.
In a conversation with newsmen, Aliyu Dawobe, the Public Relations Officer for ICRC Nigeria, highlighted that the 25,000 missing individuals are cases for which their relatives approached the Red Cross, requesting registration.
Dawobe said, “ICRC Nigeria started family unification in 2013 in Nigeria alongside the Nigerian Red Cross society.
“The 25,000 missing persons is only a fraction of people who are aware that ICRC is helping to reunite separated/missing family members. They register their cases and there are over 25,000 cases of such.”
However, the PRO mentioned that the number of missing persons in Nigeria over the past decade may have decreased due to some families reuniting without assistance from the Red Cross.
He stated, “Though, this figure could drop because some people can get reunited with their families without the ICRC knowing or being informed.”
Furthermore, based on a document provided to our correspondent by ICRC Nigeria, more than 400 individuals were located, and communication with their families was reestablished. Additionally, the families of 563 people in detention received information about their loved ones. Moreover, 580 civilians successfully reestablished contact with their families through Red Cross Messages, while 17 unaccompanied children were reunited with their families from January to September 2023.
Reports learned that the ICRC is presently coordinating the 3rd International Conference for the Families of Missing Persons.
This international conference seeks to bring together families of missing persons from across the globe to discuss their challenges and exchange information on the strategies and approaches they have employed over the years.
The conference, uniting families from diverse locations, countries, and continents, provides a virtual platform for them to connect, share experiences, establish peer-to-peer support networks, learn from each other, and integrate positive practices into their respective contexts.