Wives Of Slain Engineers In Ebonyi Allege Conspiracy, Demand Reopening Of Probe

Wives of five engineers linked to NELAN Consulting have accused the authorities of a coordinated cover-up on the disappearance and presumed killing of their husbands and called for an immediate reopening of investigations into the case.

In a rejoinder to a recent statement by the minister of Works, David Umahi, the women rejected official claims that the incident was a by-product of communal unrest, insisting that critical facts had been distorted and that key questions remain unanswered nearly five years after the incident.

The rejoinder was signed by the five wives of the murdered NELAN Engineers, namely, Mrs Patricia Onyemeh, Mrs Lovette Edeani, Mrs Ifeoma Ejiofor, Mrs Esther Aneke and Mrs Nwazulum.

The engineers reportedly went missing on 3rd November, 2021, after travelling to Ebonyi State for a meeting related to the African Development Bank (AfDB)-funded ring road project then under the state government.

According to the families, their husbands were last seen in the course of official duties, contradicting assertions that they were victims of a generalised communal crisis.

They further alleged that weeks after their disappearance, an individual impersonated a NELAN consultant at an official project review meeting held in Abakaliki, even as the firm’s top management remained unaccounted for.

“Having followed the developments since the disappearance of our husbands and heads of our families, we, the five wives of the respective five engineers, as a rejoinder to the said press statement by David Umahi, hereby state as follows:

“The characterisation of the disappearance of the five engineers and the framing of the incident as a general consequence of communal crisis is completely outrageous, misconceived, misrepresented and flawed.”

The women also questioned the propriety of an announcement by Umahi, then governor of Ebonyi State, declaring that the engineers had been killed and buried, at a time when security agencies were still investigating the case.

Disputing the minister’s recent claim that the deaths were linked to a conflict between Ezza and Effium communities, the families maintained that no such crisis occurred at the time. They said testimonies from residents and independent observers support their position that the narrative of communal violence is misleading.

The families also criticised the handling of evidence by the police, particularly the recovery of skeletal remains said to belong to the missing engineers. They stated that the authorities initially refused to conduct DNA tests, forcing the families to fund independent analysis, which allegedly revealed that the remains did not match the victims and included those of a female.

They further expressed concern over the police decision to charge six individuals with kidnapping and murder without producing the bodies or informing the families. According to them, the move appeared designed to prematurely close the case and shield those truly responsible.

The petition, addressed to key national figures including Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, urged a comprehensive reinvestigation and accountability for all those involved.