The search for a loved one never ends…
A research intern fellow at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) Prince Ayobami Akinola left his home on Sunday, August 28 for church at Gowon Estate Ipaja in Lagos state and has been declared missing since then.
Two other persons – 23-year-old Amarachi Esther Jack a resident of Lekki and Olubusade Olamilekan, a 500-level law student at the University of Ibadan, were also reported missing in the last week.
Over 25,000 people have been reported missing in Nigeria, according to the latest figures published by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and more than half of them are children.
The UN International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is observed on August 30 every year.
“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,” said Yann Bonzon, head of the delegation for the ICRC in Nigeria.
Kidnapping and armed conflict are the main reasons why people go missing in Nigeria. The most famous case of involuntary disappearances in Nigeria is the abduction of 270 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State in April 2014 by the extremist group Boko Haram and as of 2022, 112 girls are still missing.
Victims are frequently tortured, starved, raped, or forced into marriage and many are killed. Those who are alive live in constant fear of being killed and even if they escape death or are eventually released, the physical and psychological scars stay with them.
Documented cases of missing persons are on the rise. Family and friends of people who have disappeared experience slow mental anguish, not knowing if their loved one will ever return often leaves them in limbo.
Globally, the vast majority of victims of enforced disappearance are men, usually the breadwinner. The women are forced to assume the responsibility of providing for the family and leading the often long search to find their missing loved ones.
In 2022 from January to June, the ICRC together with the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), assisted in the exchange of 1,250 Red Cross Messages containing family news and reunited 31 separated children/unaccompanied minors with their families.
In addition, families of 377 persons received information about the whereabouts or fate of their loved ones and 146 families of missing persons received psychosocial, economic, legal, and administrative support through the Accompaniment Program for Families of the Missing.
The Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission Anthony Ojukwu, has called for the establishment of a database for missing persons in Nigeria.
“The database will ultimately among other things; help to establish and update the list of missing persons, taking into cognizance the fact that institutions like the Nigeria Police have similar existing data,” he said.
Similarly, the regional director for ICRC in Africa Patrick Youssef, said having the right policies in place can save lives.
“It is an essential step to protect migrants and families of missing persons. This is a question of humanity and human dignity,” Youssef noted.