EXCLUSIVE: 301 People Declared Missing In FCT In 18 Months

No fewer than 301 people have been reported missing in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the last 18 months, THE WHISTLER can report.

A register containing photos and other relevant details filed by families of the missing persons is domiciled at the FCT Police Command.

The register, sighted by our correspondent, was closed on November 11, 2021 with the said total collated from June 2020.

THE WHISTLER gathered that women and children constitute majority of missing persons in the register, but could not independently verify the total of those that have been found or rescued.

Speaking in a chat with this website, the FCT police command spokesperson, DSP Josephine Adeh, admitted that there were reported cases of missing persons but declined to give further information.

While noting that certain information are classified, Adeh said the command was working tirelessly to keep the federal capital safe.

“The police see a lot of crimes, and in the case of missing persons we are always working on it to see to it that we find them and there has been progress but there are some crimes that you cannot prevent or avoid, but all we say is that we are working tirelessly to protect every resident in the FCT,” Adeh said.

When asked if the FCT police command has a record of missing persons, Adeh responded in the negative.

THE WHISTLER further learnt that while people go missing for different reasons, some young females may have eloped from their parents’ homes.

As of 2021, Nigeria accounts for about half of the total number of missing persons in Africa, with at least 24,000 declared missing in the country.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in a statement marking the International Day of the Disappeared, attributed the rise in the number of missing people to armed conflicts and other forms of violence.