Families of missing persons recount agony at Adamawa gathering
People whose relatives have gone missing following attacks or other forms of incidents have recounted the anxiety associated with such an experience. They said during a gathering in Adamawa State that waking up every day without knowing whether a loved one whose whereabouts are unknown is dead or alive is emotionally draining. The people, who […] Families of missing persons recount agony at…
Families whose loved ones have gone missing due to attacks or other incidents have shared their emotional anguish at a gathering in Adamawa State. Attendees convened in Yola to commemorate the International Day of the Disappeared on August 30 each year, expressing the daily anxiety of not knowing whether a missing relative is alive or dead.
While there is hope that some missing persons have been found, others have died, leaving families in despair. The Adamawa State chapter of the Missing Persons Families Association emphasized that each day for families with missing relatives is filled with unanswered questions. The Secretary, Joshua Audu, noted that families of missing persons face emotional stress and economic difficulties, especially when the missing person was a breadwinner.
Nigeria has approximately 17,000 missing people out of the global estimate of 500,000, with the North-East region accounting for the majority, about 14,500. Adamawa State alone has 3,000 missing persons, with insurgency being the primary cause of disappearances in the North-East. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is working to assist affected families with search efforts and related matters.
A representative from the ICRC's Protection Family Links Team, Emeline Montel, stated that the emotional, psychosocial, and economic consequences of disappearance are severe. The ICRC maintains contact with families in Adamawa State and is taking a comprehensive approach to tracing, identifying the dead, and reuniting returning individuals with their families.
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