No fewer than 24,000 Nigerians were declared missing by their families, according to International Committee of the Red Cross data.

An ICRC Protection of Family Links Team Leader, María Toscano, who made this known at a media workshop in Maiduguri on Wednesday said the international body was still on their trace.

The diplomat said Borno had the highest number of missing persons, with about 9,000 out of the 16,000 registered by ICRC in the north-east.

According to her, 11 persons have so far been reunited with their families this year, in addition to the 13 persons who have been reintegrated with their families in 2024.

Toscano said of the 24,000 registered missing persons, 71 per cent of the incidents occurred from 2014 to 2015, adding that Bama Local Government Area of Borno had the highest caseload of about 5,000 missing persons.

The diplomat also said 65 per cent of those missing in the north-east were children at that time they were missing.

Toscano, however, identified a lack of access to conflict-affected areas and difficulties in contacting families, among their challenges.