Nation
Conflict: ICRC Records 25,000 Missing Persons In North-East
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Nigeria Red Cross Society (NRCS) have said about 25,000 individuals in the North-East have been reported missing by their family members.
ICRC’s field Officer, Families of the Missing, Precious Yaro, disclosed this on Wednesday in Yola, during the commemoration of the 2023 International Day of the Disappeared.
Yaro said the individuals got missing due to the conflict and insurgency in the North-East, adding that the statistics were collated from records in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.
She said the figure covers 2015 to date, and added that the ICRC was working closely with the families of the missing through their accompaniment programme.
The officer said the programme provides support to more than 400 families of the missing, including 20 children.
She said they have been equipped with the tools to better cope with the absence of their loved ones.
Yaro urged government to contribute to the establishment of a national working mechanism, toward creating a legal framework at state level to support families of the missing.
Earlier, Mrs Fatima Ibrahim, Deputy Head of Sub-delegation, ICRC Yola, said globally ICRC has relocated 13,000 people and reunited nearly 5,000 people with their families.
She said the ICRC works to protect the lives and dignity of people affected by armed conflict and to provide them with necessary assistance.
“This means prevention of human suffering is at the heart of our action by promoting respect for international Humanitarian Law and universal humanitarian principles”, she said.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs in the state, Mr Saso Ali, said the ministry had recorded 81 cases of reunification between January to date.
She called on the families of missing persons to take it as an act of God and continue praying for their loved ones.
Secretary of the Association of missing persons, Mr Joshua Audu, appealed to the State Government to look into the plight and suffering of the missing families.
He also appreciated the ICRC and other partners for their support, concern and understanding.
The Alliance Française Port Harcourt in conjunction with the Embassy of France Nigeria over the weekend joined the globe to campaign against the 2025 gender- based violence (GBV) with the theme: “16 Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Voice”
The event which took place at the event Hall of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt was in collaboration with the Female in Gaming Network, ( FIGN) and partnership with Nexal a body that seeks to promote online safety and responsible digital behaviour.
The Tide reports that the project which was aimed at promoting digital safety and girls inclusion in Gaming, with the initiative tagged ‘Gameover Gender- Base Violence’was part of the global campaign against gender- based Violence.
The activity which experienced a flavour of festivity was full of fun and excitements as participants took part in tournaments on popular digital games such as Mario kart and EAFC 25, with an intent to creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces.
The Director of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs Marina Lacal said that these activities were designed to encourage inclusion of girls, team work and fair play on online gaming spaces, saying that the gaming world reflects these inequalities, where female players are often under represented.
According to her the main objectives of the initiative was to provide a supportive environment for girls and female in gaming network.
“GameOverGBV” is a project created to reshape this landscape by offering an innovative inclusiveness of girls on online digital Gaming community and digital environments that provide opportunities for creativity, learning and connection, but also fight against Gender-Based Violence Digital Gaming,”she said
She however, explained that the Digital Game, sport competitions, was launched to strengthen social and digital skills through games, workshops, and raise awareness among all young participants about respect, equality and digital citizenship.
The Tide News reports that in Port Harcourt, the competition brought together 100 young participants from three major universities: University of Port Harcourt, ( UNIPORT),Ignatius Ajuru University of Education(IAUE) and Rivers State University (RSU)as well as students from four selected secondary schools, Oginigba comprehensive Secondary.School, Vine lnternational, Virgo predicanda lnternational, and Excellent Montessori Secondary school.
“This is an approach where girls and boys can learn, play and collaborate in a more respectful and safe space for young women, while ensuring a safe, enjoyable and respectful digital environment. It also expose young women to cyberbullying, exclusion, sexist comments and online hate,” Mrs. Lacal said.
Earlier, a game developer Sophia Nei and her. team had engaged participants in an interactive session with the theme: “Can Video Games Be Safe Spaces For Girls?”
However, Mrs Nei and her team educated the girls on the benefits and violence on online digital gaming and urged them ( participants)to learn to say ‘No’ to Online hate, sexist and cyber bullying, while encouraging them(students) to stand up for themselves by reporting such issues to the appropriate authority.
Highlight of the competition was the awarding of prizes to winners by the Director of Alliance Française, Mrs Marina Lacal.
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