Meta, NAPTIP launch ‘Amber Alert’ to help find missing children

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, in partnership with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), on Wednesday, launched the ‘Amber Alerts’ programme in Nigeria. 

At the launch event in Abuja, Emily Vacher, Meta’s director of trust and safety, said ‘Amber Alerts’ is designed to increase the chances of finding missing children.

She said that when an amber alert is activated by law enforcement, the alert will appear on the Facebook and Instagram feeds of users within the designated search area, enabling them to share the information instantly with friends or contact the authorities if they have leads.

“The programme is designed to include important information about the missing child such as a photo description, location of the abduction, and other relevant and available information to aid in immediately identifying the missing child,” Vacher said.

“Already available across 28 countries globally, we are proud to partner with NAPTIP to make ‘Amber Alerts’ available in Nigeria — the second African country to join this programme.

“When there is a reported case of a missing child, the most valuable thing one can do is share information as quickly as possible.

“By working with law enforcement in helping to share the right information with the right people, we hope that missing children will be safely reunited with their families faster.”

While delivering her speech, Fatima Waziri-Azi, the director-general of NAPTIP, said the partnership will ensure faster response in finding missing children.

“With these alerts, more people can be on the lookout for kids reported missing in their vicinity and report all leads to relevant authorities,” she said.

“NAPTIP cherishes every aspect of the intending collaboration and we are indeed glad to be on board with Meta.”