AI, Foundation register over 23,000 missing persons in Northeast
By Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri
The Amnesty International (AI) and Allamin Foundation have recorded over 23,000 missing persons during the 14-year insurgency in the Northeast.
According to AI, the Nigerian authorities are to investigate all cases of missing persons, including the enforced disappearances arising from the over a decade insurgency.
The Country Director of AI, Isa Sanusi, disclosed this yesterday (Thursday), in Maiduguri, to mark 2023 International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances (IDVED).
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“We’re to intensify our campaign against the government’s deafening silence on the fate of victims of enforced disappearances in the region,” he said.
He noted that today’s commemoration was part of the annual solidarity and campaign for victims of Enforced Disappearance in Nigeria and across the globe.
The Director, also lamented Allamin Foundation registration of over 23,000 missing persons caused by the 14-year insurgency in the region.
According to him, Amnesty International believes those missing and enforced disappearances are much high.
He, therefore, urged the Nigerian authorities to implement the Convention for the protection of all persons from enforced disappearance effectively into national law with due process.
Besides the law, he added that the Federal Government should ensure that enforced disappearances are thoroughly investigated, in which suspects are prosecuted in accordance with international standards.
He, however, noted: “Those found guilty receive punishments that are proportionate to the seriousness of the offence.”
Speaking on the families of missing persons, AI boss, said: “Nigerian authorities should also provide effective protection of persons who filed complaints of their missing persons and enforced disappearances.”
Other persons to be protected; included families of the disappeared person, witnesses and lawyers representing them.
In addition to the protection of family members, he added that the Federal Government should create a comprehensive data base of disappeared and missing persons in the northeast.
The commemoration led by Allamin Foundation, network of civil society organisations and Chairmen of communities in which the missing persons were recorded between 2010 and 2022 lamented the missing of their family members.
They said that despite several visits to the detention centre of Giwa barracks in Maiduguri and other security agencies, none of the missing persons could be traced for reunion.
Bulama Umar and Ya Ngubdo, whose father, brother and husband were arrested in Bama and Kumshe in 2012; are yet to be traced at any of the detention centres in the region.
Others that complained of missing persons included Hamsatu Allamin, Bulama Babagana and Ya Kura among other relatives of the missing persons.
