How I Handled Killing Of Engineers In Ebonyi Communal Conflict

Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has clarified that the late five engineers of NELAN Consulting Engineers were caught in the Effium and Ezza communal conflict in Ebonyi State.

The minister, in a statement yesterday by his senior special assistant on Media, Mr Francis Nwaze, in response to the protest by family members of the late five engineers, described their disappearance as a tragedy that happened during his tenure.

Umahi, who acknowledged the deep pain that comes with the loss of loved ones, said the death of the NELAN engineers remains a painful tragedy, adding that no family deserves such grief.

Nwaze said, “As governor of Ebonyi State at the time, Senator Umahi shared in that pain and treated the matter with the seriousness it deserved.”

He explained that the ugly incident occurred on November 3, 2021.

The aide said, “The unfortunate disappearance of the engineers occurred at the height of the violent Effium vs Ezza Effium communal conflict, a crisis that consumed lives and properties and threw the area into severe insecurity. The engineers were not singled out in isolation; they were victims of a wider conflict that tragically claimed many lives during that period.”

He stated further that, upon receiving information about the incident, Umahi mobilised security agencies and launched intensive search and investigative efforts to determine the engineers’ whereabouts and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Nwaze added that Umahi personally visited the incident site with security operatives and was directly involved in the search efforts.

“He never treated the matter lightly and never looked away from the responsibility of the state to pursue the truth.

These efforts led to the arrest of individuals involved in the dastardly act. Those arrested confessed to committing the crime, and they have remained in custody since then. The matter is still before the court, and the judicial process continues even after Senator Umahi left office as governor,” Nwaze said.

The statement reiterated that contrary to claims, “the government under Umahi did not abandon the matter, suppress it, or fail to act. Swift investigative actions were taken, arrests were made, and the suspects were handed over to the justice system, where the case continues to be prosecuted.”

While the minister sympathised with the families and understood their grief, ”it is important that public discourse on this painful matter remains guided by facts and the ongoing judicial process,” he added.

Nwaze declared that “Engr. David Umahi remains committed to justice, truth and the rule of law, and he continues to pray for the repose of the souls of the departed and for strength for their families.”