Nigeria’s missing: Families in the northeast still wait for answers

Maiduguri, Nigeria – For much than 15 years, Kashim Mohammed has hoped that his younger sister, Falmata Mohammed, is inactive alive.

Falmata disappeared successful 2011 portion travelling with her parent from Maiduguri, the superior of northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State, to Port Harcourt successful the south. According to Kashim, the 2 women were abducted by unidentified gunmen.

Years later, a antheral approached Kashim astatine Baga Road Market successful Maiduguri with quality that concisely revived the family’s hopes of uncovering the women. He claimed Falmata had been recovered successful Benin and was searching for her relatives.

But the antheral disappeared without leaving interaction details. Kashim said helium has ne'er been capable to found whether the accusation was genuine.

“From past until now, cipher knows thing astir the antheral who brought the information,” helium said.

Kashim, 39, chairs the Association for the Well-being of Displaced and Missing Persons’ Families, a assemblage organisation based successful Bolori II, Ngarnam ward, Maiduguri. He said years of unit person torn his household apart.

“As a effect of the violence, I mislaid my sister from the aforesaid father,” helium said.

Their father, Mohammed Kolo, worked astatine Maiduguri’s State Specialist Hospital. Kashim said his begetter died astatine 60 from an unwellness helium attributed to precocious humor unit without learning what had happened to his daughter.

Kolo had refused to wantonness anticipation that she would return.

“Our begetter ever said, ‘Wherever she is, I judge my girl is alive,’” Kashim recalled.

A member inactive searching

For Muhammad Alhaji Bashir, the disappearance of his elder brother, Adam Muhammad Bashir, known arsenic Bakura, has near a akin void.

Muhammad, 29, said Bakura went missing astir 2012 oregon 2013 erstwhile Muhammad was astir 14. His brother, past believed to beryllium successful his aboriginal 20s, sold cosmetics successful a Maiduguri marketplace and was studying civilian engineering astatine Ramat Polytechnic, according to Muhammad.

“I sincerely mislaid my member arsenic a effect of the Boko Haram crisis,” Muhammad said.

Boko Haram’s equipped rebellion began successful northeastern Nigeria successful 2009. The struggle has devastated communities done attacks, abductions and displacement, leaving families searching for relatives whose fates stay unknown.

Muhammad’s elder brother, Adam Muhammad Bashir, known arsenic Bakura, has been missing for 13 to 14 years [Adamu Aliyu Ngulde/Al Jazeera]

Muhammad said Bakura’s household searched crossed Maiduguri. A rehabilitation centre offered them immoderate hope.

“Whenever we heard that rescued radical had been brought to the rehabilitation centre successful Bulumkutu, we went determination with Bakura’s pictures, but unfortunately, cipher recognised him,” Muhammad said.

Muhammad said his begetter and stepmother, who was Bakura’s mother, aboriginal died from illnesses the household attributed to hypertension. He and different relatives proceed to search, without confirmation of whether Bakura is live oregon dead.

Thousands of families, thousands of questions

The 2 families’ experiences bespeak the uncertainty facing relatives of radical who person disappeared during much than a decennary of struggle successful northeastern Nigeria.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), moving with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, has supported efforts to hint missing radical and reconnect separated families.

Local advocates for missing radical cited an estimation of 17,000 radical missing crossed bluish Nigeria, galore of them linked to the struggle involving Boko Haram and its aftermath. Kashim said his association’s records indicated that astir 10,000 radical are missing successful Borno State alone. He added that galore families person yet to registry their missing relatives.

The sources for the estimates cited by advocates and the association, their geographical coverage, reporting periods and methods of compilation person not been independently established for this article.

Behind the estimates are families who person spent years searching, parents who person died without learning what happened to their children and children increasing up without a parent.

Some radical reportedly disappeared during attacks connected their communities. Others became separated from relatives portion fleeing unit oregon travelling betwixt towns. Families hunt hospitals, displacement camps and centres receiving radical rescued from struggle areas, often pursuing leads that beryllium intolerable to verify.

Even erstwhile names, photographs and idiosyncratic details are submitted to organisations progressive successful tracing missing people, locating relatives tin instrumentality time.

An relation calved retired of loss

Kashim said his hunt for Falmata helped motivate him and different affected families to found their relation successful 2023. He said the organisation obtained registration with Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission successful 2025.

Members conscionable monthly to stock accusation and sermon their circumstances. Some families person reported losing 8 oregon 9 relatives, according to Kashim.

“In our assemblage of Bolori II, we person galore families who mislaid their relatives arsenic a effect of years of unit that ravaged northeastern Nigeria,” helium said.

Kashim said the radical sometimes receives notices from the Red Cross containing names and details of missing people. These tin springiness families leads to prosecute though they bash not needfully mean a comparative has been located.

The relation besides supports children affected by the disappearances. Kashim said it was assisting astir 600 orphaned children from affected families. Some be schoolhouse portion others person dropped retired due to the fact that their relatives cannot spend to wage for their acquisition oregon different basal needs.

“We are present suffering due to the fact that of the harsh surviving conditions,” helium said, adding that the ICRC had distributed alleviation items to immoderate families.

When a missing idiosyncratic is simply a genitor oregon breadwinner, relatives indispensable header with mislaid income portion trying to supply food, structure and schooling for children. The association’s enactment has consequently expanded beyond tracing missing radical to helping families negociate the hardships their disappearances permission behind.

Floods adhd to the losses

The hunt became harder for immoderate families aft devastating floods struck parts of Maiduguri successful 2024.

Kashim said floodwaters submerged parts of Ngarnam and destroyed photographs that families had kept to assistance place missing relatives.

Kashim Mohammed, 39, has spent much than 15 years hoping his younger sister, Falmata, is inactive live [Adamu Aliyu Ngulde/Al Jazeera]

Photographs tin beryllium captious erstwhile families effort to place radical who person been rescued, displaced oregon recovered successful unfamiliar communities. Without them, relatives indispensable trust connected names, carnal descriptions and memories.

Kashim said immoderate families present person small beyond remembered details and surviving records to assistance place their relatives.

The floods added different obstacle to searches already analyzable by years of conflict, displacement and uncertainty.

Waiting for an answer

For Kashim, uncovering Falmata would resoluteness a question that has haunted his household since 2011. His begetter died believing she mightiness inactive return, and the household has ne'er established whether the study of her find successful Benin was true.

Muhammad’s hunt for Bakura continues without the parents who erstwhile helped him look for his brother.

Both families are appealing to anyone who whitethorn person accusation astir their missing relatives. For them, uncovering an reply would mean much than ending a search: It would found what happened to idiosyncratic whose lack has shaped their lives for years.

Kashim’s connection to his sister remains a plea for a reunion that his household has waited years to see.

“Falmata Mohammed, if you are live anyplace successful this world, we are the household of precocious Mohammed Kolo successful Bolori II, Ngarnam. We are waiting for you,” helium said.