Over 25,000 persons have disappeared in Nigeria of the total of 64,000 persons missing in Africa, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said.
This was disclosed by Mr Yann Bonzon, Head of Delegation for Society in Nigeria, in a statement sighed by society’s spokesperson Ms Akpa Esther to commemorate the International Day of the Disappeared, observed every August 30.
Mr Bonzon said out of the over 25,000 reported missing in Nigeria, over 14,000 were children.
He said there are over 35 active armed conflicts in Africa.
He said that thousands of people, including children, cross borders, the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea in search of safety and a better life each year.
Bonzon said that such movements often entailed great risk, including the risk of disappearance.
He said that documented cases of missing persons were on the rise as the society warned that the actual figures were much higher.
“Sadly, the almost 14,000 children registered does not capture the full scope of this often-neglected and tragic humanitarian issue.
“There is no doubt that there are more children whose fate remains unknown,” Mr Bonzon said.
He said the society has more than 5,200 documented cases of unaccompanied children in Africa.
Mr Patrick Youssef, Regional Director for ICRC in Africa, said that having the right policies in place could save lives.
“They are stuck in limbo, unable to move forward or grieve. The search for their loved ones never ends ’’ Youssef said.
He said that in 2022 from January to June, the society together with the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), assisted in the exchange of 1,250 Red Cross messages containing family news.
Youssef said that the society reunited 31 separated children and unaccompanied minors with their families, while 440 phone calls were provided to families to maintain family contact.
“In addition, families of 377 persons received information about the whereabouts or fate of their loved ones,” he said.
