A protest is currently ongoing at the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja as family members, friends and human rights activists are demanding answers over the disappearance of five engineers linked to a road project in Ebonyi State.
According to Sahara Reporters, the demonstrators gathered at the ministry’s office in Mabushi on Monday, calling on the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to explain the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and alleged killing of the engineers in 2021.
The protesters, dressed in black T-shirts and carrying placards, blocked the main gate of the ministry while insisting that authorities must explain what happened to the engineers.
They said families of the victims had waited for years without clear information about the fate of their loved ones.
The group demanded that the bodies of the missing engineers be released so the families can finally get closure.
According to them, nearly five years after the incident, there has been no clear outcome from investigations into the matter.
Officials of the ministry later attended to the protesters.
The demonstrators submitted a protest letter to the Permanent Secretary of the ministry before moving to the office of the National Human Rights Commission to continue their demand for justice.
The five engineers worked with Nelan Consultants and were supervising the Abakaliki Ring Road project in Ebonyi State.
The road project was funded by the African Development Bank.
The victims were identified as Nelson Onyemeh, Stanley Nwazulum, Samuel Aneke, Ernest Edeani and Ikechukwu Ejiofor.
Family members said the engineers travelled to Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, on November 3, 2021, after receiving an invitation for a meeting connected to the road project they were supervising.
According to the families, the men disappeared shortly after arriving in the state capital.
Since then, their whereabouts have remained unknown, raising concerns among relatives and colleagues.
Relatives also said the engineers had disagreements with Umahi, who was the governor of Ebonyi State at the time, over matters connected to the Abakaliki Ring Road project.
They claimed the dispute began after the state government allegedly asked Nelan Consultants to step aside from supervising the project so that the government could take direct control of the work.
The consulting firm reportedly refused, saying the request would go against the terms of its contract and could lead to problems with the African Development Bank.
The families also said the engineers were asked to approve certificates confirming that certain works had been completed even though those works were supervised by other engineers.
They insisted that the consultants rejected the request because they could not approve projects they did not supervise.
According to the families, these disagreements led to plans for the meeting that the engineers travelled for in November 2021.
However, they said the men disappeared shortly after that trip and have not been seen since then.
The families said several attempts to get answers about what happened to the engineers have produced little progress, which is why they decided to stage the protest and demand justice.
