By Muhammad Maitela, Damaturu
Families of missing persons in Yobe State have urged government agencies and humanitarian organisations to intensify efforts to trace their loved ones and clarify their whereabouts.
The appeal was made on Thursday in Damaturu during activities marking the 2026 International Day of the Disappeared.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) disclosed that more than 1,500 people are registered as missing in Yobe, out of over 17,000 cases being followed across Nigeria.
Head of the ICRC Sub-Delegation in Yobe, Sayd Rashid Hassan, said the figures could represent only a fraction of the actual number of missing persons. He added that more than half of those registered in the state were children when they disappeared.
Hassan said the ICRC was working to prevent family separation, reunite families, establish the fate and whereabouts of missing persons, and protect the dignity of deceased persons.
He also called for stronger systems to document and identify unidentified bodies, noting that more than 50 families in Damaturu had received support through the ICRC’s Accompaniment Programme.
Speaking for the affected families, Chairman of Families of the Missing, Malam Ali Idriss, urged government institutions and other stakeholders to make it easier for families to access information and assistance.
Idriss said the impact of disappearances went beyond uncertainty about the whereabouts of loved ones, as families also faced emotional distress, economic difficulties and challenges in obtaining legal and administrative documents.
“Every missing person is a father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, husband, wife, friend or loved one. Every missing person matters,” he said.
He called for coordinated support for affected families and stronger measures to prevent disappearances.
Idriss also disclosed that families were working to establish an association to promote mutual support, advocacy and engagement with government and humanitarian organisations.
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