A website aimed at helping people to identify or provide information about missing family members or friends is set to be launched in Nigeria.
The platform was established to help address the rising cases of missing persons in the country.
The website, MissingPersonsPlatform.com, was founded by a group of psychologists, health and information technology experts from REConnect and Primly Premium Solutions, respectively.
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The group is partnering with the police to help people report or find their loved ones.
The platform was unveiled on Tuesday at the police officers mess in Garba, Abuja, at an event attended by various security agencies and civil society groups as well as other stakeholders who are privy to cases of missing persons in the country.
Part of the MPP’s goal is to create a system that makes it easy for unidentified persons, missing persons as well as found and unclaimed persons to be reported and tracked.
Speaking at the event, Christine Bestman, who represented the Managing Director of Primly Premium Solutions, said people get missing for different reasons. Many as result of insecurity, voluntary migration, displacement and violence.
She quoted data from the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) which showed that approximately 24,000 persons have been declared missing in Nigeria and, saying “these persons comprise Soldiers, frontline workers while other are people who have lost contact with their love ones, many will never be found again.
“Despite how prevalence this unexplainable disappearance is in the country and the long-lasting effect it has on those who have been affected, there is a persistent lack of resources available to tackle this problem”.
She added, “There is currently no national database for missing persons in Nigeria. This has proven to be a compounding factor in efforts to create awareness as well keep track of progress made over time.
“This concern and the dying consequences it appears to have on the safety of the Nigerian population, is what inspired the development of the missing persons platform.”
On his part, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Philip Maku said there are few places where cases of missing persons can be reported but noted that “every police station has a station dairy and register for missing persons” within their area.
He added that the platform is relevant to security personnel as it will avail them the instant opportunity to paste information of missing persons for immediate action.
Scheduled for launch on December 1, 2021, MPP will host a database of missing persons within a specific duration and avail Nigerians the opportunity to report on missing persons for easy identification.
The multi-level disciplinary project will also serve as an avenue for raising awareness, providing psychological, social and even financial supports to the families of missing people as well as those who have been affected and found.
THE WHISTLER had reported exclusively that no fewer than 301 people were declared missing within 18 months in the federal capital.
This website sighted a register at the FCT Police Command which contains photos and other relevant details filed by families and friends of the missing persons.
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