By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD) has called on President Bola Tinubu to order an independent federal investigation into the disappearance of five engineers attached to NELAN Consulting Limited, nearly five years after they reportedly went missing while on official duty in Ebonyi State.

The rights group, in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, also urged the Ebonyi State Government to publish a comprehensive accountability report on the incident, saying the unresolved disappearance had become "a national test of Nigeria's commitment to justice, institutional accountability and the protection of human rights."

The five engineers—Engr. Nelson Onyemeh, Engr. Ernest Edeani, Engr. Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Engr. Samuel Aneke and Engr. Stanley Nwazulum—reportedly disappeared on November 3, 2021, while travelling from Enugu State to supervise the Abakaliki Ring Road Project in Ebonyi State.

According to FENRAD, despite investigations, criminal proceedings against some suspects and official statements over the years, the whereabouts of the engineers remain unknown, leaving their families without answers.

"Five years have passed since Engr. Nelson Onyemeh, Engr. Ernest Edeani, Engr. Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Engr. Samuel Aneke, and Engr. Stanley Nwazulum left Enugu State in the course of their professional duties to supervise the Abakaliki Ring Road Project and never returned," the organisation said.

It described the disappearance as one of Nigeria's most disturbing unresolved cases involving professionals engaged in public infrastructure development, adding that the prolonged uncertainty had weakened public confidence in the country's criminal justice institutions.

"Five years without a conclusive resolution represents a troubling failure of accountability. Such prolonged uncertainty undermines public confidence in Nigeria's criminal justice institutions and weakens citizens' trust in the capacity of the State to protect those carrying out legitimate professional duties," FENRAD stated.

The organisation said it viewed the matter as a human rights issue, arguing that the affected engineers were entitled to constitutional guarantees of life, dignity, liberty, security and access to justice, as well as protections under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.

While noting that conflicting accounts had emerged over the circumstances surrounding the disappearance, FENRAD stressed that allegations raised by the families remained contested and had not been conclusively determined by any court.

"It is therefore imperative that the search for truth be driven by credible evidence, due process, forensic integrity, and institutional independence," the statement added.

FENRAD urged Tinubu to authorise an independent multidisciplinary investigation involving experienced investigators, forensic experts, digital analysts and human rights specialists.

It also called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Attorney-General of the Federation and other security agencies to reopen and comprehensively review all forensic, digital, intelligence and documentary evidence relating to the case.

The organisation further appealed to the Ebonyi State Government under Governor Francis Nwifuru to publish a State Accountability Report detailing actions taken since the engineers disappeared, disclose the level of cooperation with federal security agencies and constitute an independent fact-finding panel comprising jurists, forensic experts, representatives of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), the National Human Rights Commission and civil society organisations.

"No public office, past or present, should shield any individual from legitimate scrutiny where unresolved questions remain concerning events that occurred during their administration. Equally, no individual should be presumed responsible without credible evidence and due process. An independent investigation serves both the interests of victims and those against whom allegations have been made," the organisation said.

The group equally urged the National Human Rights Commission to conduct an independent human rights inquiry, called on the National Assembly to hold a public hearing into the matter, and appealed to professional bodies, civil society organisations and international development partners to support efforts aimed at establishing the truth behind the disappearance.