Wives of five missing engineers petition Tinubu, National Assembly over husbands’ disappearance

The engineers, all employees of NELAN Construction Ltd., were reportedly abducted in November 2021 by armed men while supervising the Abakaliki Ring Road project in Ebonyi State, a project financed by the African Development Bank.

The wives of five engineers abducted over four years ago in Ebonyi State have petitioned President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, requesting their intervention in the matter.

The engineers, Nelson Onyemeh, Ernest Edeani, Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Samuel Aneke and Stanley Nwazulum, all employees of NELAN Construction Ltd., were reportedly abducted in November 2021 by armed men while supervising the Abakaliki Ring Road project in Ebonyi State, a project financed by the African Development Bank.

They have not been seen since then.

In the petition written by the families’ lawyers, CNO Attorneys and dated 10 March, the women – Patricia Onyemeh, Lovett Edeani, Ifeoma Ejiofor, Esther Aneke and Nwazulum – asked the federal government to compel the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigeria Police Force to account for the missing engineers and intensify efforts to determine their fate.

They also demanded a comprehensive investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the abduction.

They said they had endured years of uncertainty over the disappearance of their husbands, who were consultants supervising the road project.

According to the petitioners, the security agencies have failed to provide any clear information about the whereabouts of the engineers despite the passage of several years since their abduction.

They also alleged that the investigation into the case suffered a setback after an officer of the SSS, Victor Onyesom, who was handling the case, was allegedly removed from the probe without formal notice.

They claimed his work laptop, which contained investigative materials, was seized by the agency at the height of the investigation.

“Our Clients lament helplessly that till date, nothing meaningful has been heard about the whereabouts of the victims who are husbands, fathers and breadwinners in their respective families, instead, innumerable intrigues and conspiracies including a sudden unlawful dismissal of the investigation officer of the Department of Security Services (DSS), one Mr. Victor Chijioke Onyesom without a letter of dismissal, alongside confiscation of his laptop by the security service at the peak of the investigation,” the petition read.

They argued that the continued failure to resolve the case undermines Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which places the security and welfare of citizens as the primary purpose of government.

Providing background to the case, the petitioners said the five engineers were abducted in the Effium community of Ebonyi State in November 2021.

They alleged that tensions had developed between the lead consultant, Nelson Onyemeh, and the administration of former Ebonyi governor David Umahi over the terms of the consultancy contract for the road project.

According to the petition, the project’s funding arrangement with the African Development Bank limited the involvement of the state government in the financial management of the contract.

The petitioners said disagreements arose after the state government allegedly attempted to alter the project terms and proposed that another firm take a leading role in the consultancy.

They claimed the NELAN consultants rejected the proposal, a development they said triggered hostility between the parties.

The petition further alleged that during the early stages of the investigation, the then-governor publicly announced during a state executive council meeting that the engineers had been killed and buried in a forest by local fighters, even though the police and SSS were still investigating the abduction.

The families questioned how the governor obtained such information before the conclusion of the official investigation.

They urged the president and the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure that those responsible for the abduction are identified and prosecuted.

They warned that continued inaction could force the families to organise protests to demand justice.

They emphasised the emotional toll on the families, noting that the missing engineers were fathers and primary breadwinners whose absence had left their households in prolonged distress.

The petitioners urged the federal government to launch a fresh and comprehensive investigation through the security agencies to determine the fate of the missing engineers and bring those responsible to justice.

The petition was also copied to Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo, Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, all members of the National Assembly from Enugu State, and the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission.