From Samuel Bello, Abuja
The Federal Government yesterday disclosed that it would soon develop pilot database on missing persons in Borno, Rivers and Benue states.
Chairperson of the National Technical Committee on the establishment and management of a database of missing persons, Maryam Uwais, stated this at an event organised by the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja to commemorate this year’s International Day of the Disappeared.
She explained that the nation needed database on missing persons as a fulfillment of the rights of the families of victims to know the fate and whereabouts of their relatives.
The federal government had in June last year inaugurated and charged the technical committee with the responsibility of establishing the necessary components for the oversight, implementation and management of the database with regards to the legal obligations concerning the protection and processing of personal and sensitive data.
The implication of this is that families and friends of missing persons could either register or retrieve vital information about their loved ones.
According to the chairperson, the duties of the committee include to “provide to the families and relevant authorities, appropriate information and facts on disappearances as well as information on the fate and whereabouts of a missing person in accordance with agreed procedures, the national legislation and the standards on the protection and management of personal and sensitive data.
“Provide support to families of missing persons by implementing a support framework and take measures to ensure they enjoy their rights, including the right to know.”