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ConflictsNigeria

Nigeria's search for the missing

August 30, 2025

More than 82,000 people are registered missing across Africa, with Nigeria accounting for the most cases. DW travels to Maiduguri in Borno state to meet families who still hope to one day be reunited with family members who have disappeared or been kidnapped.

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According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), over 82,000 people are registered as missing across Africa and that's likely just a fraction of the total number. These disappearances are largely attributed to insurgency, armed conflict, and widespread kidnapping, DW's Azeezat Olaoluwa travelled to Maiduguri in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state to meet the families who are organising themselves: to support each other, and to put pressure on authorities to do more to find their loved ones.