No official register for missing persons in Nigeria – FG

The Federal Government on Tuesday said there is no official register for missing persons in Nigeria.

Adding that there are no reliable national data on the number of missing persons because there’s no official register

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouk made the disclosure during a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the ministry in collaboration with the National Human Right Commission, NHRC, the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC.

Sadiya, who was represented by the permanent secretary, Nasir Gwarzo, stated that the country currently has no national structure or Standard Operating Procedure, SOP, to tackle the humanitarian consequences of disappearances.

”The Federal Government was very concerned about often-neglected and tragic humanitarian and social issues. Irregular migration by many Nigerians, including children across borders. The Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara Desert, in search of safety and a better life each year, often contribute to the great risk of disappearance as the latest figures show that Nigeria is recorded over 25,000 missing persons, including over 14,000 children out of the 64,000 disappeared persons across Africa”, the minister said.

Head of ICRC Nigeria Delegation, Yann Bonzon, revealed that over 13,000 families across the country were looking for their missing loved ones.