By Franca Ofili
The Federal Government says it is working with stakeholders to develop the Mass Fatality Response Plan (MFRP) for Nigeria.
This is in effort to prevent disappearances and increase the possibility of identification of humans.
Hajaya Sadiya Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, said this in Abuja on Tuesday at a press briefing on the 2022 International Day of the Disappeared.
“ In our effort to prevent disappearances and increase the possibility of identification of human remains, the ministry is currently working with relevant stakeholders to develop the Mass Fatality Response Plan (MFRP) for Nigeria
“The plan is based on international best practices for proper and dignified management of the dead,’’ she said.
Farouq was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Nasir Sani-Gwarzo
She said that in Nigeria and around the world, people go missing as a humanitarian consequence of armed conflicts and also as a result of violence and migration.
Farouq said, ”it is the tragic reality for thousands of families who are suffering from the anguish of a constant search as there are more than 25,000 persons that have been reported missing in Nigeria.”
She said that more than 50 per cent of these numbers were minors.
Farouq said that the families of the missing persons have the right to know the fate of their loved ones as more needs to be done to prevent families from being separated.
The minister called on organisations with legal instruments, law enforcement agencies and other relevant stakeholders to join the ministry to achieve the humanitarian endeavor.
She said that the ministry would institutionalize the day’s programme as it undertakes the following:
“Create a Desk for the missing, Develop a Database for the missing, Create a reporting and response line for the programme
“Assign a programme officer to liaise with relevant officers on the issue of the missing.”
She said the ministry would develop humanitarian policies and provide effective coordination of national and international humanitarian interventions.
“We will ensure strategic disaster mitigation, preparedness and response; and manage the formulation and implementation of fair focused social inclusion and protection programmes in Nigeria.
“We will lead the National Human Rights Commission, International Committee of the Red Cross and Nigerian Red Cross Society.
“We will continue to pursue important initiatives to tackle the issue of the missing in Nigeria. As this year’s theme says, they are missing, but not forgotten,’’ she said.
Dr Yann Bonzon, Head of Delegation, International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), said that the causes and consequences of disappearance have always been a priority for the ICRC since it was established.
Bonzon said that under international law, missing persons and their families have rights which should be respected in all circumstances,
He gave instances like the families of the missing have a fundamental right to receive information about the fate and the whereabouts of their missing relatives.
Bonzon said other missing persons have the right to be searched for.
“If proven dead to have their human remains recovered and in order to prevent the disappearance of persons, detainees have the right to be registered by competent authorities.
“To also inform their families of their places of detention,’’ he said.
According to him, the ongoing conflict in the North East continues to have a devastating impact on the people of this country.
“ Nigeria has the largest number of missing persons ever registered by the ICRC in Africa.
“Since the beginning of the conflict in 2009, more than twenty-five thousand persons were reported missing, to the ICRC and the Nigerian Red Cross Society.
“They include more than two thousand cases that were registered after January 2021.
“The number of missing persons continues to rise every day, yet the ICRC knows that this figure represents a fraction of a wider undocumented humanitarian tragedy,’’ he said.
Bonzon said that in 2021, the National Human Rights Commission launched a pilot project for registration of missing persons in Borno.
He said that another promising development which happened in 2022 was a pillar of continental and global cooperation
“Nigeria became the first African country that officially joined the Global Alliance for the Missing
“This alliance is a joint initiative launched in 2021 by Switzerland and the ICRC to enhance cooperation between states
“To bring collective diplomatic, political and financial capacity and influence to improve the prevention of, and response to, the issue of missing persons,” Bonzon said.
According to him, the initiatives ushered in a tentative new hope for the thousands of families who were still searching for answers.
He added :”Nigeria needs more such initiatives.
“Carrying these initiatives into the future requires going beyond the status quo. We need to work closely and gather around bold solutions.”
Bonzon highlighted two areas of action that are needed, which are that the lack of an official register or database for missing persons in Nigeria was only part of the problem.
He said the country does not convey the depth of suffering of the families and does not end their suffering.
Bonzon urged the government to generate the necessary political will and allocate the necessary resources for the establishment of an independent humanitarian national mechanism which puts the families at the center.
“ This mechanism should have a clear legal mandate to search for missing persons and respond to the multifaceted needs of the families in a comprehensive, efficient and sustainable manner.
“Consensus needs to be established at all levels between the legal instruments, law enforcement agencies and other relevant governmental institutions in Nigeria,’’ he said.
According to him, until a national mechanism was created, concrete actions must be taken by the Nigerian government to prevent disappearances.
“This includes taking measures to ensure proper management of the dead and improving national frameworks in line with existing obligations under international law.
“The ICRC calls on the Nigerian authorities to domesticate the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance that Nigeria acceded to in 2009,” he added.
The Regional Director for ICRC in Africa, Patrick Youssef, said that families of the disappeared face immense pain and obstacles that often transcend generations.
Youssef said, ‘‘they are stuck in limbo, unable to move forward or grieve. The search for their loved ones never ends.”
“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.”
According to him, from January to June,2022, the ICRC, together with the society, assisted in the exchange of 1,250 Red Cross messages containing family news.
He said that they reunited 31 separated children and unaccompanied minors with their families, while 440 phone calls were provided to families to maintain family contact.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of National Human Rights Commission, Tony Ojukwu, said this year’s theme is: ”Missing but not forgotten”.
Ojukwu urged governments around the world to wake up to their responsibilities by rescuing all the missing victims. (NAN)
