The International Committee of the Red Cross has revealed that 23,659 Nigerians are still missing across the country.
The ICRC made this known in Yola on Saturday during the International Day of the Disappeared. It said many of the disappearances were caused by armed conflicts and violence in different parts of Nigeria.
Benson Lee, the organisation’s Protection of Family Link Officer, said most of the cases were recorded in Borno State, which has been hit hardest by years of insurgency.
“Sixty-seven per cent of the number of missing persons in Nigeria occurred in Borno State,” Lee said.
He added that a large number of the missing were children. “About 59 per cent of the missing persons overall were minors at the time of disappearance,” he said.
Lee explained that the ICRC has helped trace and reunite several missing persons with their families but stressed that more needs to be done.
He called on all parties involved in conflicts to do more to prevent people from going missing, while urging support for affected families.
“Families of missing persons need to feel that they are not alone and their loved ones are not forgotten,” he said.
