Nearly 22,000 people, mostly children, are missing as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency in northeast Nigeria, the Red Cross said on Thursday.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) through its President Peter Maurer said that the nearly 22,000 Nigerians constituted the highest number of missing persons registered with the Organisation in any country.
He was speaking at the end of a five-day visit to Nigeria, where he met with President Muhammadu Buhari, senior government officials, civil society and business leaders.
The jihadist uprising which started in 2009 has killed more than 27,000 people, displaced some two million, and spilt over into neighbouring countries, sparking a dire humanitarian crisis.