The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it is following up on more than 1,500 cases of missing persons in Yobe State, as families continue to live with uncertainty over the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones. The Head of the ICRC Sub-Delegation in Damaturu, Syed Rashid Hassan, disclosed this on Thursday […]
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it is following up on more than 1,500 cases of missing persons in Yobe State, as families continue to live with uncertainty over the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones.
The Head of the ICRC Sub-Delegation in Damaturu, Syed Rashid Hassan, disclosed this on Thursday at an event organised to commemorate the 2026 International Day of the Disappeared in Damaturu.
Hassan said the figure was part of more than 17,000 missing-person cases being followed up by the ICRC in Nigeria, adding that more than half of those reported missing were children at the time of their disappearance.
He said the figures likely represented only a fraction of the total number of people reported missing across the country.
According to him, more than 513,000 people worldwide were registered as missing with the Family Links Network of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement by the end of 2025.
He described missing persons as one of the most devastating and long-lasting consequences of armed conflict and other situations of violence, disasters and migration.
“The issue of missing people is one of the most devastating and long-lasting consequences of armed conflict and other situations of violence, disasters and migration,” he said.
Hassan said the consequences of disappearance went beyond the missing individuals, as families were left with emotional, economic, legal, administrative, psychological and psychosocial challenges.
He said the ICRC had adopted a holistic approach to supporting affected families, working with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, government authorities and other stakeholders.
He said the organisation was working to prevent family separation and people going missing, reunite families, clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing persons, protect the dignity of the dead and improve systems for documenting unidentified bodies.
He disclosed that the ICRC launched an accompaniment programme in Damaturu to help families cope with the psychological and psychosocial effects of the disappearance of their loved ones.
“Today, many families are still living in uncertainty, causing agony and unspeakable suffering,” Hassan said, adding that more than 50 families had so far been supported through the programme.
The ICRC official called for stronger and sustained efforts to search for missing persons and provide answers to their families.
He also called for stronger national legal and institutional frameworks, including medico-legal systems, mechanisms to determine what happened to missing persons and support systems to address the economic and legal needs of affected families.
Hassan commended the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the Ministry of Justice’s Justice Sector Reform Team, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education through the Yobe State Universal Basic Education Board (YBSUBEB), as well as community leaders, for supporting efforts to address the plight of missing persons and their families.
He said SEMA had supported the implementation of a national mass-fatality response plan in the state, while the Justice Sector Reform Team was reviewing the coroner’s law.
He also said YBSUBEB had accepted to incorporate key messages on prevention of family separation into activities in primary schools.
Speaking on behalf of families of missing persons, the Chairman of the Families of the Missing, Ali Idris, said families continued to live between hope and uncertainty while waiting for answers about their loved ones.
Idris said the absence of answers affected their emotional wellbeing, livelihoods and family relationships, making it difficult for many to move forward.
He expressed appreciation to the ICRC for supporting families through tracing efforts, family reunification and its accompaniment programme, including mental health and psychosocial support sessions.
He also appreciated traditional, religious and community leaders, as well as government ministries and agencies, for supporting efforts to address the issue.
However, Idris appealed to authorities to open their doors to families of missing persons and provide stronger and more coordinated support.
“Our needs go beyond finding our missing loved ones. Yes, we need answers. We need continued efforts to search for and clarify the fate and whereabouts of those who are missing.
“But we also need support for the families who have been left behind,” he said.
He said families faced emotional distress, economic hardship, legal and administrative challenges and difficulties in accessing documentation following the disappearance of their loved ones.
The International Day of the Disappeared is commemorated annually on August 30 to honour missing persons and stand in solidarity with their families.
