Borno, Adamawa, Yobe: 14,500 missing in North-East

More than 17,000 people are registered as missing in Nigeria — over 90 per cent linked to armed conflict, insurgency and mass kidnappings — as families across the North-East marked the International Day of the Disappeared still searching for loved ones who vanished years, sometimes decades, ago.

As reported by Daily Trust, ICRC figures show approximately 9,000 missing persons in Borno State, 3,000 in Adamawa and 2,500 in Yobe. Behind every statistic is a story of anguish: Kashim Mohammed’s sister disappeared 14 years ago and floodwaters later destroyed her only photographs; Hajja Yakura Abatcha lost three children fleeing Baga by boat; Ba Modu Ali wept until he lost his sight searching for his abducted 13-year-old daughter.

“I cried until I became blind. The pain is still very fresh in my heart,” Ali said.

Widow Maryamu Daniel has dialled her missing son’s number for 13 years — hearing only silence. Families appealed to the government and security agencies to intensify search efforts while expressing gratitude for ICRC’s tracing work.