Wives of five missing engineers reject Umahi’s comments, accuse minister of cover-up

The wives of five engineers linked to NELAN Consulting have strongly rejected recent comments by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, accusing him of attempting to sweep the truth under the carpet regarding the disappearance and presumed killing of their husbands in 2021.

In a strongly worded response, the women Mrs Patricia Onyemeh, Mrs Lovette Edeani, Mrs Ifeoma Ejiofor, Mrs Esther Aneke, and Mrs Nwazulum said Umahi’s response failed to address grave factual and moral concerns that have persisted for nearly five years.

The statement followed Umahi’s March 16, 2026, response in which he reportedly linked the engineers’ disappearance to communal unrest.

However, the families disputed this, insisting that describing the incident as a general consequence of communal crisis was completely outrageous, misconceived, and flawed.

The engineers, who were supervising an African Development Bank-backed ring road project in Ebonyi State, went missing on November 3, 2021, during Umahi’s tenure as governor.

According to the families, their husbands had travelled for an official meeting arranged by the state government and were last seen in connection with the project.

The wives alleged irregularities in the handling of the case by security agencies, particularly the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force. They questioned why a DSS investigator, identified as Victor Chijioke Onyesom, was suddenly sacked at the peak of his investigation, alleging that he had been tracking communications linked to the case.

The families also faulted the police for presenting skeletal remains without conducting DNA verification. They noted that one of the five skeletal remains belonged to a female, whereas all five missing engineers are men.

They further accused authorities of rushing to file charges against six suspects without concluding investigations or producing bodies, alleging that the move was intended to tactically close the investigation and shield the real culprits.

The wives also alleged intimidation after petitioning top government officials, including President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas. According to them, an undisclosed person threatened them not to push further for a reinvestigation of the case.

Rejecting Umahi’s position outright, the wives described the case as a whitewash and cover-up, citing interference in the investigative process, the sudden termination of the investigation, the removal of key investigators, and the suppression of critical evidence.

The families called on the President, National Assembly leadership, and civil society groups to compel security agencies to reopen the case. They warned that they would have no option but to embark on another protest if the investigation was not reopened.

“The blood of our dear husbands will never go in vain,” the wives said.