FG Receives 108 Stranded Nigerian Migrants In Niger

The Federal Government has received 108 irregular Nigerians migrants stranded in Niger Republic. This is contained in a statement by Mr Alexander Oturu, Southwest Zonal Coordinator, National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) on Tuesday in Abuja. The commission said the Nigerians include 32 males, 29 females, 44 children and three infants. “The migrants were conveyed to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, camp where the NCFRMI and International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have a tripartite agreement to provide temporary shelter for the returnees. “Before they are provided with onward transportation allowance to enable them get to their final destinations,” he added. The return, he said, was facilitated by the Nigerian Mission in Niamey and the IOM. “In line with Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the returnees will be integrated into various government programmes, as well as the reintegration programmes of the UN Migration Agency,” he said.

Int’l Day of the Disappeared: 23000 people missing in 10 years -Minister

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu says that 23,000 people have been reported missing in less than a decade due to the insurgency in some parts of the country. Edu said this in Abuja at a stakeholders’ engagement with the theme “Where are you now”, to mark the International Day of the Disappeared. She said that the figure represented half the number of missing people in the whole of Africa. Edu said that the report of the missing people released by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) was as a result of the insurgency in some parts of the country. “Today, over 23,000 persons are still missing. “However, it is likely that this is just a tip of the iceberg as a more efficient mechanism is needed to improve the reporting and forensically trace cases of missing persons,” she said. The minister said the issue of missing people had become one of the most critical and long-lasting humanitarian consequences of armed conflicts, and as such called for sober reflections. Edu said that the present administration was committed to curbing the issue, hence the need to facilitate and strengthen the legal frameworks that would substantially address the incidences of disappearance. Mr Yann Bonzon, Head of Delegation, ICRC, said that more than 23,000 people, registered by the Family Links Network in Nigeria, never returned home, and remained missing until date. Bonzon said that the number did not convey the true extent of the issue. “The actual number of missing persons is likely to be much higher, with Nigeria having more missing people than any other country on the continent. “Until a national mechanism is created, immediate steps must be taken by the Nigerian government to prevent disappearances, to prevent the disruption of family links and maintaining links between separated family members. “It will also help to address proper management of the dead,” he said. Bonzon said that ICRC would continue to work closely with the government and relevant stakeholders to prevent disappearances to encourage and promote the adoption of international best practices. He said that the ICRC would also support the Nigerian authorities to build sustainable capacities and resources to establish a national mechanism for the missing and their families. “Let us collectively remind ourselves that while people might be gone, they will never be forgotten, and their families will never stop searching for them,” he added. The group walked from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to the National Human Rights Commission, to create awareness. 

15,000 missing persons recorded in North East –Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), says it has registered 15,000 persons as missing by relatives as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East. Ms Lilian Dube, Family Links Team Lead, ICRC in Maiduguri, stated this at an event to commemorate the 2023 International Day of the Disappeared, on Wednesday in Maiduguri. She said the figure could be higher but the number of those who registered with the organisation stood at 15,000, adding that most of them hailed from Borno. Dube said that 900 of the missing persons had been reunited with thier families through the ICRC. Mr Serge Zogg, Head Sub-Delegation, ICRC, who interacted with families of some of the missing persons at Ngarannam Ward of Maiduguri, assured of the organisation’s sustained support towards finding the missing persons. “This event is for you, and it is a testament to your strength and resilience as you navigate through the challenges brought by absence of your loved ones. “Please know that the ICRC stands with you in solidarity as you commemorate your missing family members. “The ICRC is an impartial, neutral and independent organisation whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of persons affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence, and to provide them with assistance,” Zogg said. He lauded the Borno government for its support and cooperation to the organisation. Also, the District Head of Ngarannam, Lawan Shettima, lauded the ICRC’s restoration of family links and psychosocial support to families of missing persons programmes. Shettima said the interventions by the ICRC impacted positively to the lives of the affected families in the area. Highlights of the event included sharing of testimonies by some members of the affected families.