ICRC is tracing 17,000 missing persons in Nigeria

About 17,000 missing-person cases are still being traced in Nigeria, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has reported.

Aliyu Dawobe, the ICRC spokesperson in Nigeria, shared this information during a two-day training for journalists on humanitarian reporting in Lagos.

The group previously had around 24,000 cases on its tracing register.

Mr Dawobe pointed out that the drop does not mean that 7,000 missing people have been found or reunited with their families.

Some cases are no longer active because the ICRC has lost contact with relatives who first reported the missing persons.

According to the ICRC, some families have moved, returned to their communities, changed phone numbers, or relocated to areas where it is hard to keep in touch.

The ICRC, working alongside the Nigerian Red Cross Society, focuses on tracing people who have been separated from their families due to armed conflict and other violent situations.

Mr Dawobe mentioned that the ongoing conflict in Nigeria’s North-east has left many families apart for years.

“A lot of people have been separated from their loved ones for over 10 years. A lot of people have been displaced in the region,” he said.

The insurgency in the North-east has displaced millions and separated families across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.

Mr Dawobe emphasized the role of journalists in highlighting the experiences of those affected by conflict.

“The ICRC wants the media to take the lead in changing how we report about people affected by conflicts in Nigeria,” he said.

“We want the stories to focus on the sufferings of the affected people to help ease their pains.

“We want the media to raise awareness about the struggles of those affected by conflicts; to report real human stories connected to the missing persons and the trauma they are experiencing.”

Nathalie Bekdache, the ICRC communication coordinator, also encouraged journalists to be careful with the language they use when reporting on armed conflicts and humanitarian crises.

“The way we talk about humanitarian situations and armed conflict can either help or not help the people facing these conflicts,” Ms Bekdache said.

She added that journalists should focus more on those affected by violence instead of only looking at conflicts through the lens of attacks, casualty numbers, and the actions of armed groups.

The ICRC said this training was set up to improve journalists’ understanding of humanitarian reporting and International Humanitarian Law.

The humanitarian organization invited 50 journalists for the training, split into two groups of 25 participants.