Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
March 7, 2023.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and National Red Crescent Society (NRCS) have reunited 729 separated children with members of their families in the Northeast.
About 24, 963 people were forced to leave their homes during the 13-year conflict in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.
These were disclosed in the 2022 ICRC Operational Facts and Figures dashboard, released yesterday (Tuesday) to journalists in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The ICRC Head of Delegation in Nigeria, Yann Bonzon, disclosed that conflict has forced people to leave their homes and continue to live in makeshift camps.
He noted that this led to many family members, including children separated from their parents and guardians during the conflict.
“The loved ones have gone missing, while their livelihoods were disrupted in the over a decade conflict in the Northeast,” he lamented.
On how the children were reunited, he disclosed that 4, 319 Red Cross messages were exchanged to re-establish contacts between separated family members with the help of ICRC and NRCS.
Continued; “About 1, 020 names of missing persons were broadcast on radio informing them that their family members were looking for them.
“There were also 672 pictures of persons looking for their missing family members in Borno, Adamawa, Gombe and Yobe States.”
He said the names of the missing persons were also published in photo booklets; to assist ICRC with the search process.
According to him, 812 phone calls between separated family members were also facilitated in reuniting 729 children with their family members.
