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By Tracy Moses
Five years after the disappearance of five engineers working on an African Development Bank (AfDB)-funded project in Ebonyi State, their families have petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of the National Assembly, seeking urgent intervention to unravel the circumstances surrounding their disappearance.
In the petition, also addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, the families called for a thorough investigation into the incident and the prosecution of those responsible.
The petition, dated March 10, 2026, was written by their solicitors, CNO Attorneys, on behalf of the wives of the missing engineers, who lamented that despite the passage of five years, security agencies have failed to provide any meaningful information regarding the fate of their husbands.
They urged the Presidency and the National Assembly leadership to compel security agencies, particularly the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force, to produce the missing engineers or clarify their whereabouts.
Copies of the petition were also sent to the governors of Charles Soludo of Anambra State and Peter Mbah of Enugu State, members of the National Assembly from Enugu State, as well as the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission.
According to the petitioners, the five engineers, who were employees of NELAN Construction Ltd, were abducted by armed men in November 2021 while working as consultants supervising the Abakaliki Ring Road project in Ebonyi State, a project funded by the African Development Bank.
The lawyers stated that the engineers had travelled to the Effium community in Ebonyi State for what was described as a legitimate assignment related to the project when they were abducted.
Speaking on behalf of the wives, Mrs. Patricia Onyemeh, Mrs. Lovett Edeani, Mrs. Ifeoma Ejiofor, Mrs. Esther Aneke and Mrs. Nwazulum, the lawyers lamented that five years after the incident, the families remain in the dark about the fate of their loved ones.
The petition read in part: “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.”
They also expressed concern over what they described as a “suspicious delay” in the investigation by the security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police Force and the DSS.
According to the petition, the investigation suffered a setback when the DSS officer handling the case, Mr. Victor Chijioke Onyesom, was suddenly removed from the investigation without a formal dismissal letter, while his laptop containing vital investigative materials was allegedly confiscated. The lawyers said the development suggested possible interference with the investigation.
Providing further background to the matter, the petition also alleged that tensions had earlier arisen between the lead consultant on the project, Engr. Nelson Onyemeh, and the administration of former Ebonyi State governor David Umahi over the terms of the contract for the project.
According to the petition, the project’s financing arrangement with the African Development Bank was structured in a way that limited direct financial interference by the state government, a situation the lawyers claimed led to disagreements over the management of the consultancy component of the project.
The petition further alleged that the former governor had publicly announced during a State Executive Council meeting that the five engineers had been killed and buried in the bush by “Ezza warriors,” even while investigations by security agencies were still ongoing.
The families questioned how such information became available before security agencies concluded their investigations into the abduction.
The missing engineers were identified as Engr. Nelson Onyemeh from Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State; Engr. Ernest Edeani from Nkanu in Enugu State; Engr. Ikechukwu Ejiofor from Umunya in Awka, Anambra State; Engr. Samuel Aneke from Nkanu in Enugu State; and Engr. Stanley Nwazulum from Amawbia in Awka, Anambra State.
The petitioners urged the Presidency and the leadership of the National Assembly to use their offices to ensure that those responsible for the alleged abduction are brought to justice.
They warned that continued inaction could force the affected families to embark on protests, noting that the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the fate of their loved ones has caused deep psychological trauma.
“We are therefore constrained to remind the government of its statutory duty to protect lives and property and to come to the aid of these depressed and deprived families who have been left without answers for years,” the petition added.
The families insisted that only a comprehensive investigation by the Federal Government and its security agencies would help unravel the fate of the missing engineers and restore confidence in the country’s justice and security systems