No fewer than 24,000 Nigerians have been reported missing by their families since 2015, according to data from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
María Toscano, Team Lead, Protection of Family Links at the ICRC, revealed this alarming figure on Tuesday during a media workshop held in Maiduguri, Borno State.
She explained that most of the cases are linked to the Boko Haram insurgency and other conflicts in the North-East region.
According to Toscano, Borno State alone accounts for nearly 9,000 of the 16,000 missing persons documented by the ICRC in the North-East, with Bama Local Government Area recording the highest figure — over 5,000 cases.
She disclosed that a majority of those declared missing were children at the time of disappearance.
“Sixty-five per cent of those missing in the North-East were children,” Toscano said, stressing that families continue to live in anguish and uncertainty.
“Of the 24,000 registered cases, 71 per cent occurred between 2014 and 2015. So far in 2025, we have reunited 11 people with their families, and 13 were reunited in 2024. But this is a drop in the ocean,” she added.
Toscano lamented the difficulty in accessing conflict-affected areas and maintaining contact with displaced families, which she said has significantly hampered efforts to trace the missing.
Also speaking at the event, the Head of ICRC Sub-Delegation in Maiduguri, Diana Japaridze, described the trend as deeply worrying and called on the media to play a critical role in highlighting the plight of affected families.
“Some people spend years searching for loved ones, often without results. Families have a right to know what happened to their loved ones. The pain of not knowing is a tragedy in itself,” Japaridze said.
She appealed to journalists to amplify the voices of the victims and raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis linked to enforced disappearances and armed conflict.
“The media must draw the public’s attention to the needs of families and help foster a deeper understanding of international humanitarian law and the obligations of states,” she added.
The ICRC said it remains committed to helping reunite families and urged authorities and humanitarian actors to prioritise mechanisms that uphold the rights and dignity of missing persons and their relatives.
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