{
  "id": 4157740,
  "title": "Families of 1,500 missing persons in Yobe beg govt, security agencies to trace them",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/families-of-1-500-missing-persons-in-yobe-beg-govt-security-agencies",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-29T08:52:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ripples Nigeria",
    "slug": "ripples-nigeria",
    "url": "https://www.ripplesnigeria.com/families-of-1500-missing-persons-in-yobe-beg-govt-security-agencies-to-trace-them/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Families of over 1,500 missing persons in Yobe State have called upon government, security agencies and humanitarian organizations to intensify efforts to locate their loved ones and determine their whereabouts. On Thursday, during celebrations marking the 2026 International Day of the Disappeared Persons in Damaturu, these distraught families made the plea. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) revealed that more than 1,500 individuals were registered as missing in Yobe, accounting for a fraction of the over 17,000 cases being monitored nationwide. Sayd Rashid Hassan, the Head of the ICRC Sub-Delegation in Yobe State, explained that the actual number of missing persons could be considerably higher. Over half of those registered were children who disappeared from their communities. The ICRC is striving to prevent family separation, reunite families, ascertain the fate and location of missing persons, and uphold the dignity of deceased individuals. They are requesting stronger systems for documenting and identifying unidentified bodies. Over 50 families in Damaturu have received assistance through the ICRC’s Accompaniment Programme. Speaking on behalf of the affected families, Malam Ali Idriss, Chairman of the Families of the Missing Persons, urged government institutions and other stakeholders to simplify access to information and support. He highlighted the impact of disappearances, which extend beyond uncertainty about loved ones, as families endure emotional trauma, financial hardships, and difficulties in obtaining essential legal and administrative documentation. Idriss emphasized that every missing person represents a father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, husband, wife, friend, or loved one. He called for coordinated support for affected families and stronger measures to prevent disappearances, adding that families are working to establish an association for mutual support, advocacy, and engagement with government and humanitarian organizations.",
  "summary": "Families of the 1,500 missing persons in Yobe State have urged government, security agencies and humanitarian organisations to intensify efforts to trace their loved ones and establish their whereabouts. The distraught families made the call on Thursday in Damaturu during activities to mark the 2026 International Day of the Disappeared Persons. The International Committee of […] The post Families…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}