Lakurawa
Yola/Maiduguri, Nigeria – An estimated 17,000 Nigerians remain missing, mostly as a result of the long-running insurgency in the North-East and other conflict-related violence, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said.
The figure, released ahead of the International Day of the Disappeared observed on August 30, represents active tracing cases currently being handled by the ICRC and the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS). It marks a reduction of roughly 6,000 to 7,000 from earlier tallies of nearly 24,000 cases recorded over the years.
The update was provided on Wednesday during an event in Yola, Adamawa State. Emeline Montel, Protection of Family Links Delegate at the ICRC’s Mubi office, said about 3,000 of the missing persons were from Adamawa alone. She clarified that the numbers are based solely on cases documented by the ICRC after families approached the organisation for help in tracing relatives and restoring family links where possible.
In a July 2026 statement, the Red Cross Movement explained that the revised total of approximately 17,000 active cases followed a comprehensive review. Over the years, the ICRC and NRCS had worked on close to 24,000 missing persons cases across Nigeria. Many of those cases were closed or set aside after repeated unsuccessful attempts to maintain contact with the families, some of whom had been further displaced. The current figure reflects cases where regular contact with families is still maintained and active tracing continues.
The majority of the disappearances are linked to the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgency that escalated in the North-East states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe from 2014 onwards. Earlier ICRC data indicated that Borno State accounted for the highest number of cases, with previous estimates putting the North-East total at around 16,000 of the broader national caseload. A significant proportion of those reported missing were children at the time of their disappearance.
Montel spoke during a public sanitation exercise, street cleaning, remembrance and awareness campaign organised by relatives of missing persons with ICRC support. Participants said the activity aimed to highlight the ongoing plight of thousands of families whose lives have been disrupted by the unresolved fate of loved ones—many of them breadwinners and young people.
Habiba Mustapha, a member of the Association of Families of Disappeared Persons and an indigene of Gwoza in Borno State now displaced to Adamawa, said four of her relatives remain unaccounted for. She described the prolonged emotional and economic hardship the disappearances have caused her family.
The ICRC has long described Nigeria’s missing persons caseload as the highest in Africa. Behind each case is a family living with uncertainty, grief and practical difficulties, including loss of income and challenges accessing legal or administrative support. The organisation provides psychosocial support, legal guidance and livelihood assistance to affected families through its accompaniment programmes, alongside tracing efforts that include community engagement, field visits and collaboration with partners.
Despite some successful reunifications in recent years, progress remains limited by restricted access to certain conflict-affected areas and difficulties maintaining contact with mobile or further-displaced families. The ICRC has emphasised that the 17,000 figure is a snapshot of active cases and is expected to change as new reports are received, contacts are re-established, or cases are resolved.
As Nigeria approaches the International Day of the Disappeared, the Red Cross and families of the missing continue to call for sustained attention to the issue, stressing the right of families to know the fate of their loved ones.
About the Author
