Families of missing Ebonyi engineers petition Tinubu, seek update on investigation

More than three years after five construction engineers went missing in Ebonyi, their families have intensified calls for justice, petitioning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over what they describe as silence, delays, and troubling inconsistencies in the investigation.

In the petition, also copied to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, the families—through their lawyers, CNO Attorneys—said the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the case has deepened their anguish.

The family noted that the five engineers were employees of NELAN Construction Limited, and vanished in November 2021 while working as consultants on a ring road project in Ebonyi State funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Describing the incident as unresolved and increasingly suspicious, the families accused security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), of failing to provide clear updates or make meaningful progress in uncovering what happened.

They also raised concerns about alleged interference in the investigation, citing the removal of a DSS operative, Mr. Victor Chijioke Onyesom, at a critical stage of the probe. According to the petition, his sudden dismissal and the confiscation of investigative materials cast doubt on the integrity of the process.

The missing engineers—Nelson Onyemeh, Ernest Edeani, Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Samuel Aneke, and Stanley Nwazulum—were described as professionals and family men whose disappearance has left their households in prolonged distress and economic hardship.

The petition traced the incident to tensions in Effium community, where disagreements reportedly emerged over the execution of the AfDB-funded project.

The engineers were said to have resisted attempts to alter contractual terms, a development the families believe may be connected to their disappearance.

Adding to their concerns, the families questioned a statement by a former governor in Ebonyi State, David Umahi, who announced that the engineers had been killed and buried before investigations were concluded.

They described the claim as premature and troubling, raising questions about how such conclusions were reached.

Arguing that the situation reflects a failure of the state to protect its citizens, the lawyers cited constitutional provisions mandating government responsibility for citizens’ security and welfare.

The families are now demanding decisive federal intervention, urging the Tinubu administration to reopen and conclude the investigation transparently, determine the fate of the engineers, and hold all those responsible accountable.