Posted by Chinenye on Fri 28th Aug, 2026 - tori.ng
The search for thousands of missing Nigerians has taken a fresh turn in Yobe State, where the Red Cross is working to trace people whose whereabouts remain unknown.
(ICRC Officials. Photo Credit: News Express)
The International Committee of the Red Cross is actively working to find the whereabouts of 1,500 missing people in Yobe State.
The head of the ICRC's office in the state made the announcement at a meeting in Damaturu on Thursday ahead of the International Day of the Disappeared.
These missing persons are part of a larger group of 17,000 people unaccounted for across Nigeria. About half of them were children when they went missing.
The disappearances have happened because of armed conflicts, natural disasters and migration issues, leaving families with serious emotional, financial, legal and psychological problems.
By the end of 2025, more than 513,000 people worldwide had been registered as missing through the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's family tracking network.
The ICRC has worked with families of missing persons for more than 160 years.
Its work focuses not just on finding the missing but also on supporting their families through the ordeal.
The official explained that the problem goes beyond just someone disappearing.
Families often struggle with not knowing what happened, loss of income, legal difficulties and deep emotional distress.
They need official recognition of their suffering.
Because of this, the ICRC launched a support programme in Damaturu to help families deal with the emotional and psychological challenges of having a loved one missing.
More than 50 families have benefited from the programme so far.
The ICRC also works to prevent family separation, restore family connections, find out what happened to missing people and treat the deceased with dignity through proper body management.
The state chairman of the Families of the Missing association said the International Day of the Disappeared this year, with its theme about remembering and supporting families, speaks directly to their experiences.
He stressed that each missing person is not just a number or a case file.
Every missing person is a parent, child, brother, sister, husband, wife, friend or loved one who matters.
The commemoration included a photo exhibition showing missing persons and their personal items like shoes and clothes.
These belongings become important symbols for families because they help them remember and keep a connection to their loved ones.