Posted by On Wednesday, Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, said that in less than a decade, insurgency in some sections of the country has resulted in the disappearance of 23,000.
This was expressed by Edu in Abuja at an event for stakeholders with the topic “Where are you now?” in honor of International Day of the Disappeared.
According to her, this amount accounted for half of Africa’s missing population.
According to Edu, the insurgency in certain sections of the country is to blame for the number of missing people reported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS).
Over 23,000 people are still reported missing as of today.
“However, it is likely that this is just the tip of the iceberg as a more efficient mechanism is needed to improve reporting and forensically trace cases of missing persons,” she said.
According to the minister, the disappearance of civilians is now one of the most serious and enduring humanitarian effects of armed situations, which necessitates serious thought.
According to Edu, the current administration is serious about addressing the problem, so efforts should be made to streamline and reinforce the legal frameworks that will significantly reduce disappearances.
According to Mr. Yann Bonzon, Head of Delegation for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Nigeria, more than 23,000 people who were reported missing by the Family Links Network in that country have still not been found.
According to Bonzon, Nigeria has more missing people than any other country on the African continent, and the true figure is likely far higher.