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

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

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

But the families disputed this, insisting that “the characterisation of the disappearance of the five engineers… as a general consequence of communal crisis is completely outrageous, misconceived, misrepresented, 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.

“Credible accounts indicate that the victims were last seen in connection with official engagements linked to the Ebonyi Ring Road project,” the statement read, raising “legitimate questions” about attempts to attribute the incident to communal violence.

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.

“Who influenced the conspiracy to terminate the investigation at DSS?” they asked.

The families also faulted the police for presenting skeletal remains without conducting DNA verification.

“The police presented them to the family as remains of the victims, but refused to do a DNA test.

“Without a doubt, the conspiracy in hurriedly filing the purported charge… was to tactically close the investigation… and shield the real culprits,” the wives said.

They added: “Where are the bodies of our husbands? You arrested their killers.”

The families 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 us not to push further for the reinvestigation of the case.”

Rejecting Umahi’s position outright, the wives said: “We totally reject David Umahi’s responses as misconceived and unfounded,” citing “interference in the investigative process, the sudden termination of the investigation, the removal of key investigators, and the suppression of critical evidence.”

They described the case as a “whitewash, cover-up, mischief, conspiracy, and plot to use the court to foreclose investigation.”

The families called on the President, National Assembly leadership, and civil society groups to compel security agencies to reopen the case.

“We will have no option but to embark on another protest if the investigation is not reopened.

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

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