By Albert Akota
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has launched a Register for missing persons in Nigeria in line with its mandate of protecting the rights of citizens and foreigners living in the country devoid of any form of discrimination.
The inauguration of the missing persons Register in the country is beginning with a pilot project in Borno state which is the epicentre of insurgency with the attendant human rights and humanitarian issues, including enforced disappearance and kidnapping among other challenges.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu, who stated this at a Public Lecture organised by the NHRC and CLEEN Foundation to commemorate the 2021 International Day of the missing, observed on 30th of August annually remarked that, “This day gives us an opportunity to acknowledge the number of persons who go missing on account of armed conflict or related violence, natural disasters, migration, abduction or kidnapping, trafficking, accidents, detention, crimes or any other situation”.
According to the NHRC boss, the Commission had embarked on widespread advocacy in the state to sensitise relevant agencies and bodies on the project, stating that affected persons, families and communities are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to address their anxieties, hoping for a favourable result.
In her speech, the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen expressed the commitment of the federal government towards protecting the rights of the disappeared and their families.
According to the Minister, the trauma experienced by the disappeared and their family members cannot be explained and to address the issue, all hands must be on deck to clarify the situation of the disappeared and give hope to their families.
The Minister of foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema commended the United Nations for setting aside 30th of August to commemorate the Day of the Disappeared just as he lauded the thoughtfulness of the Executive Secretary of NHRC.
