The International Committee for the Red Cross, ICRC, has expressed over the alleged 25,000 Nigerians missing as a result of armed conflict in the country.
It is against this backdrop that the ICRC released a statement announcing its plans to hold a meeting with stakeholders on Tuesday to brainstorm on the way forward.
In the statement released on Monday, the ICRC Nigeria, said the meeting seeks to raise awareness, establish collaborative networks and develop methods towards solutions.
The statement added that the meeting would also build avenues for engagement, as well as discuss priorities and an action plan to support families of the missing persons.
According to the ICRC, thousands of families are still searching for more than 25,000 people missing due to the conflict in the northeast.
While stressing that those missing must not be forgotten, an official of the ICRC, Kouame Adjoumani, said “behind every missing person there are many more people suffering from the anguish and uncertainty of not knowing the fate and whereabouts of a loved one”.
He added that, “families of the missing face economic, psychosocial, administrative, and legal difficulties all at once—and can be unable to rebuild their lives until these challenges are overcome.”
The stakeholder meeting is co-hosted by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and, Social Development, as well as the National Human Rights Commission.
Those expected to attend the meeting include ministries, agencies, members of civil society, and representatives from the families of the missing.
“Our caseload of more than 25,000 missing people in Nigeria is likely just the tip of the iceberg,” said Anne-Sofie Stockman, who works with families of the missing for the ICRC in Nigeria.
“The actual number of those missing is likely much higher,” he added.
The statement further stated that: “More than 90 percent of ICRC missing cases in Nigeria are connected to the armed conflict in the northeast.
“In 2022, together with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, the ICRC helped exchange 4319 ‘Red Cross messages’ and facilitate 812 phone calls between separated family members.
“We facilitated 14 family reunions and provided psychosocial, economic, legal, and administrative support to 156 people affected by missing loved ones.
‘This is the support we provide for communities in Nigeria, as we do around the world,”.
