About 17,000 Nigerians remain the subject of active missing-person tracing cases, largely linked to conflict, violence, and other humanitarian crises, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said.
The figure was disclosed ahead of the International Day of the Disappeared, marked annually on August 30.
The latest figure is down from 23,659 missing persons recorded by the ICRC in 2025. The organization said the reduction followed a review of its caseload, which removed cases where contact had been restored with families or cases that could no longer be actively pursued.
The ICRC said the 17,000 cases represent people currently being actively traced by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in Nigeria and should not be interpreted as the total number of people missing in the country.
At an awareness event in Yola, Adamawa State, ICRC Protection of Family Links Delegate Emeline Montel said about 3,000 of the active cases were from Adamawa.
The event included a sanitation exercise, street cleaning, and remembrance activities organized by relatives of missing persons with ICRC support.
Families said the disappearance of their loved ones had caused prolonged emotional and financial hardship, particularly where those missing were breadwinners.
Habiba Mustapha, a member of the Association of Families of Disappeared Persons, said four of her relatives from Gwoza, Borno State, remain missing.
She said their disappearance had left her family struggling with emotional distress and financial difficulties, including challenges keeping their children in school.
The ICRC has continued to work with families to trace missing relatives, restore contact, and provide support to those affected by disappearances.
