Author: Gist Correspondent

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it is intensifying efforts to determine the whereabouts of about 1,500 missing persons in Yobe State amid the humanitarian impact of conflict and displacement.

The Head of the ICRC Sub-Delegation, Syed-Rashid Hassan, disclosed this in Damaturu during a stakeholders' meeting held ahead of the International Day of the Disappeared.

Hassan said the Yobe cases form part of more than 17,000 missing persons recorded across Nigeria, noting that about half of them were children at the time they disappeared.

He attributed the disappearances to armed conflicts, natural disasters and migration, saying the situation has left many families facing emotional, economic, legal and psychosocial hardships.

According to him, more than 513,000 people had been registered as missing globally through the Family Links Network of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement by the end of 2025.

Hassan said the ICRC has worked with families of missing persons for over 160 years, stressing that its mission goes beyond tracing missing individuals to providing support for affected families.

He noted that families often grapple with uncertainty, loss of income, legal challenges and psychological trauma, prompting the organisation to launch an Accompaniment Programme in Damaturu to help them cope.

The ICRC official said more than 50 families have so far benefited from the initiative, while efforts continue to prevent family separation, restore family links and clarify the fate of missing persons.

He commended the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency for making the state the first in Nigeria to implement the National Mass Fatality Response Plan and called for stronger legal frameworks to address the issue of missing persons.

Hassan also praised the Yobe Ministry of Justice for reviewing the state's coroner's law and lauded the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and the State Universal Basic Education Board for promoting awareness on preventing family separation in schools.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Families of the Missing Association, Ali Idris, thanked the ICRC, the Yobe State Government and community leaders for supporting families affected by disappearances.

He urged government and development partners to strengthen efforts to trace missing persons, support affected families and prevent further disappearances, stressing that every missing person represents a loved one whose absence continues to cause pain.

The event featured a photo exhibition of missing persons alongside personal belongings such as shoes and clothing, highlighting the enduring search by families and the importance of preserving the memory and identity of those still unaccounted for.