By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, on Monday March 16, 2026, blamed the fate that befell the five NELAN Consulting Engineers on the fratricidal communal clashes that engulfed parts of Ebonyi state in 2021.
This is as he insisted that he did all he could as the then Governor of Ebonyi state to ensure the apprehension and subsequent prosecution of those suspected to be behind the abduction and death of the five Engineers ,as well as other victims of the communal clash between Effium and Ezza Effium.
Umahi’s response is coming against the backdrop of the protest match staged early Monday morning by wives, relations and friends of the missing engineers at the Abuja headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Works.
The protesting family members expressed their disappointment with what they perceived as the non-challant disposition of Senator Umahi towards resolving the riddle surrounding the fate of their loved ones.
They accused the authorities of paying a lip-service to the quest to unravel the actual circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the five engineers.
It will be recalled that the five engineers who were working on a link road project within Ebonyi State suddenly went missing on November 3, 2021.
However, they were reported to have been killed by their abductors’ a few days later by both the police and Ebonyi State authorities.
In a statement issued by Francis Nweze, his spokesperson, Minister Umahi informed that some suspects arrested in connection with the disappearance and death of the engineers are currently facing prosecution in Court.
While describing the incident as painful, the Works Minister appealed for calm and understanding while the matter is being handled by the judiciary.
“The death of the NELAN engineers remains a painful tragedy. No family deserves such grief and the Honourable Minister understands the weight of that loss.
“The unfortunate disappearance of the engineers occurred at the height of the violent Effium vs Ezza Effium communal conflict, a crisis that consumed lives and properties, and threw the area into severe insecurity”, Umahi stated.
The engineers were said to have been abducted by combatants in the Effium and Ezza Effium internecine clashes.
However, Umahi emphasized that as the Governor, he did all he could to salvage the situation, noting that the victims were not singled out, but were regrettably cut in the cross fire alongside several others.
“Iimmediately the information about the incident reached the then Governor of Ebonyi state Senator David Umahi ,he swiftly mobilised security agencies and launched intensive search and investigative efforts to determine the whereabouts of the engineers and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“Those efforts led to the arrest of individuals involved in the dastardly act. Those arrested confessed to committing the crime, and they have remained in custody since then. The matter is still before the Court.
“It must, therefore, be clearly understood that the Government under Senator Umahi did not abandon the matter, suppress it, or failed to act”, the statement reads in part.
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