About 17,000 Nigerians, mostly victims of attacks by insurgents in the North-East and other parts of the country, remain missing, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has reported.
The figure was released ahead of the International Day of the Disappeared, observed annually on August 30, highlighting the continuing struggle of families searching for loved ones who vanished during years of conflict.
Number of missing persons drops
The latest figure represents a decline of about 6,000 from last year, when the ICRC reported that 23,659 missing persons were being sought by their families.
Speaking in Yola, the Protection of Family Links Delegate at the ICRC Mubi office, Emeline Montel, said that about 3,000 of the documented missing persons were from Adamawa State.
Montel stressed that the figures were based on cases documented by the ICRC, which works with families to trace missing relatives and restore contact where possible.
She spoke to journalists during a public sanitation exercise, street cleaning, remembrance and awareness campaign organised by relatives of missing persons and supported by the ICRC ahead of the August 30 commemoration.
Families continue to bear the burden
Relatives who participated in the exercise said the community clean-up was also a way of drawing attention to the plight of thousands of families whose lives have been disrupted by the disappearance of their loved ones.
They said many of those missing were breadwinners and young people who disappeared while trying to build their lives, leaving families facing prolonged emotional and economic hardship.
For some families, the search has continued for years without answers.
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A member of the Association of Families of Disappeared Persons, Habiba Mustapha, who participated in the street cleaning in Yola, said the whereabouts of four of her relatives remain unknown.
Habiba, an indigene of Gwoza in Borno State who was displaced to Adamawa, said the disappearance of her relatives had subjected her family to severe emotional and economic difficulties.
“The disappearance of my relatives is a continuing source of emotional stress and economic difficulty. Some of these missing persons were breadwinners. Our children are not going to school. Look at me here in a completely new environment,” she said.
The ICRC says its work continues to help families establish the fate of missing loved ones, while the annual International Day of the Disappeared provides an opportunity to keep their plight in the public spotlight.
Esther Ososanya is an investigative journalist with Pinnacle Daily, reporting across health, business, environment, metro, Fct and crime. Known for her bold, empathetic storytelling, she uncovers hidden truths, challenges broken systems, and gives voice to overlooked Nigerians. Her work drives national conversations and demands accountability one powerful story at a time.