Nigeria Has No National Record of Its Missing.
Findr Is Building One.
Every year, thousands of Nigerians are reported missing. Most cases are filed at local police stations — recorded in handwritten ledgers, shared with no one, invisible to the public. There is no central database. No national alert system. No coordinated way for a family in Kano to know that someone matching their missing relative's description was found in Ogun.
Findr was built to close that gap.
What We've Built
Findr is Nigeria's first verified, searchable missing persons registry — covering all 36 states. When a case is reported and verified, it is published to the national database and a broadcast alert is sent to subscribers in the relevant state via SMS and email. Every case has a public page where tips can be submitted — by name or anonymously — and where updates are tracked in real time.
Each case page renders an interactive map of the last-seen location and nearby landmarks, and Findr automatically generates a verified, downloadable poster for every case — pulled from the registry data, no design work required. Families and communities can circulate the same authoritative artefact instead of unverified social media flyers.
Law enforcement agencies have direct API access to case data. Developers can integrate Findr data into their own platforms. Families have one place to go when someone disappears.
How We Operate
Findr operates as a civic technology initiative — based in Nigeria, built in public interest, with no advertising and no investor pressure on the registry. Sponsorship from institutional partners funds the broadcast infrastructure. The platform itself remains free for families, communities, and law enforcement.
Operating Principles
How we make decisions about the registry.
Verification first
No case goes live without review. Every report is assessed before publication to the national registry.
Open infrastructure
Case data is accessible via public API. We don't hoard information that could save lives.
State-level broadcast
Alerts are targeted by state, not broadcast nationally, to maximise relevance and reduce noise.
Anonymous tip submission
Anyone can submit information on a case without disclosing their identity.
Interoperable by design
Built to plug in,
not stand alone.
Findr's case data is published in the same global emergency-alert format used by FEMA in the United States, Environment Canada, and the EU Public Warning System.
That means when Nigerian carriers, broadcasters, or platforms like Google Public Alerts are ready to surface missing-persons cases in their channels, they don't need to build anything for Findr — they already speak our language. The infrastructure is in place; the partnerships are the next conversation.
Technical documentation is available at developers.findr.ng.
Leadership
The team building Findr.
Dare Tunmise
Engineering & Technical Director
Akinwale Fayemi
Head of Operations
Amarachi Nwosu
Legal & Compliance Lead
FAQ
Questions about Findr.
What is Findr?
Findr is Nigeria's first verified, searchable national missing persons registry. It covers all 36 states. When a missing person report is verified, the case is published to the public registry and a state-targeted alert is broadcast by SMS and email to subscribers in the relevant state.
Who can use Findr?
Anyone. Families file reports, members of the public submit tips on open cases, journalists access verified case data, and law enforcement and partner institutions integrate via the public API. The platform is free for families, communities, and law enforcement.
How are missing person reports verified?
Every submitted report is reviewed by the Findr team before publication. Verification typically completes within 24 hours. Reports that cannot be verified are not published to the public registry.
How are alerts broadcast?
Findr broadcasts state-by-state, not nationally. When a case is verified in Lagos, only subscribers in Lagos receive the SMS and email alert. This avoids alert fatigue and preserves the signal value of every notification.
Is Findr affiliated with the Nigerian Police Force?
No. Findr is an independent civic technology initiative. We don't investigate; we facilitate. We provide the digital infrastructure for verified case information to flow from the public to families and to the authorities who do the investigative work. Findr is not a law enforcement agency and does not have investigative powers.
How does Findr handle reporter and tip-submitter privacy?
Reporter contact details (phone number and email) are never displayed publicly. They are accessible only to Findr administrators for verification and follow-up. Tips can be submitted anonymously without identifying the submitter. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.
Who runs Findr?
Findr is operated by a small volunteer team covering engineering, operations, and legal compliance. Findr Foundation is in formation as the non-profit civic-tech entity that will operate the registry going forward.
How is Findr funded?
Findr is currently funded out of pocket. The longer-term funding model combines foundation grants, corporate sponsorship for alert infrastructure, and corporate partner integrations fee through our developer API. The registry itself stays free for families, communities, and law enforcement. If you know a foundation or programme that might support our work, get in touch.
Take Action
A case filed here reaches the whole country.
Every report is verified and published to the national registry. Tips are routed directly to the case file and shared with law enforcement.
Stay informed.
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