Nearly five years after the disappearance of five engineers in Ebonyi State, their families have staged a protest in Abuja demanding a fresh investigation into the case.
The engineers; Engr. Nelson Onyemeh, Engr. Ernest Edeani, Engr. Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Engr. Samuel Aneke, and Engr. Stanley Nwazulum, were consultants with NELAN Construction Limited and were reportedly working on the Abakaliki Ring Road project funded by the African Development Bank when they went missing in November 2021.
On Monday, March 16, their wives, relatives, and colleagues gathered at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja, carrying placards and photographs of the missing engineers.
The protesters accused security agencies of failing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the disappearance nearly five years after the incident.
In a petition dated March 10, 2026, submitted through lawyers led by Carl Umegboro and addressed to the President, Senate President, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, the families called for an independent probe.
They also accused the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services of failing to provide clear answers despite years of investigation.
The petition further questioned a statement reportedly made during the crisis by former Ebonyi State governor David Umahi suggesting that the engineers had been killed and buried by local militias while investigations were still ongoing.
The families also said skeletal remains earlier presented to them as those of the engineers were rejected after independent DNA tests showed the remains did not belong to the victims.
They urged President Bola Tinubu to order a fresh investigation and ensure those responsible are brought to justice, noting that the prolonged uncertainty has left the families in deep trauma.
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