The International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC has disclosed that over 25,000 persons have disappeared in Nigeria of the total of 64,000 persons recorded missing in Africa.
This was disclosed by Mr Yann Bonzon, Head of Delegation for Society in Nigeria, in a statement signed by society’s spokesperson Ms Akpa Esther to commemorate the International Day of the Disappeared, observed every August 30.
Mr Bonzon said out of the over 25,000 reported missing in Nigeria, over 14,000 were children.
He said there are over 35 active armed conflicts in Africa.He said that thousands of people, including children, cross borders, the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea in search of safety and a better life each year.
Bonzon said that such movements often entailed great risk, including the risk of disappearance.He said that documented cases of missing persons were on the rise as the society warned that the actual figures were much higher.
“Sadly, the almost 14,000 children registered does not capture the full scope of this often-neglected and tragic humanitarian issue.
“There is no doubt that there are more children whose fate remains unknown,” Mr Bonzon said.
He added that the society has more than 5,200 documented cases of unaccompanied children in Africa.
