ABAKALIKI, EBONYI STATE — November 3, 2026, marks five years since five engineers working with NELAN Consultants disappeared in Ebonyi State while carrying out professional duties connected to the African Development Bank (AfDB)-funded Abakaliki Ring Road Phase II project.
The engineers — Nelson Onyemeh, Ernest Edeani, Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Samuel Aneke and Stanley Nwazulum — travelled from Enugu to the Effium community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area on November 3, 2021.
They were expected to supervise work on the road project and make arrangements for accommodation.They never returned.
Five years later, their whereabouts remain unknown, and their families continue to demand answers from the authorities.
The case, widely referred to as the NELAN Five, has remained a subject of public concern, particularly over allegations of interference in the investigation.
Disagreements surrounding the road project and questions about the handling of criminal proceedings involving suspects also remain mysterious.
Who Were the Missing NELAN Engineers?
The five men were identified as:
- Engr. Nelson Onyemeh — Lead Consultant and Chief Executive Officer of NELAN Consultants, from Ihiala, Anambra State.
- Engr. Ernest Edeani — From Nkanu, Enugu State.
- Engr. Ikechukwu Ejiofor — From Umunya, Anambra State.
- Engr. Samuel Aneke — From Nkanu, Enugu State.
- Engr. Stanley Nwazulum — From Amawbia, Anambra State.
NELAN Consultants was appointed to provide consultancy services for the pre-construction and construction supervision of sections of the Ebonyi State Ring Road project.
An African Development Bank contract-award publication dated July 14, 2020, confirms that NELAN Consultants was selected for the assignment at a contract price of ₦232.915 million.
Its responsibilities included reviewing designs and supervising construction to ensure compliance with approved specifications and engineering standards.
Disagreements Over the Road Project
Before the engineers disappeared, disagreements reportedly developed between NELAN Consultants and the administration of then-Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, over the management and supervision of the AfDB-funded project.
According to allegations subsequently raised by the families, the state government wanted greater control over aspects of the consultancy arrangement, including payment certifications, instructions to contractors and approval of work completed under the project.
The families alleged that NELAN resisted proposals it considered inconsistent with the terms of its consultancy agreement and its professional responsibilities.
These claims have not been independently established as the cause of the engineers’ disappearance.
The Ebonyi State Government disputed allegations of complicity and issued its own account of the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The contract award document confirms NELAN’s appointment and its supervision responsibilities, but does not establish the alleged disagreements or connect them to the disappearance.
Last Known Movements of the NELAN Engineers
According to an investigation published by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) in January 2022, the five NELAN engineers left Enugu for Ebonyi on November 3, 2021.
They were using an official Toyota Hilux with registration number ERR 001 EB.
They were reportedly expected to meet a man identified as Ken Okeh at about 3 p.m. to discuss accommodation arrangements, as the engineers were expected to work around the project location.
The team reportedly arrived in Effium at approximately 2 p.m. and contacted Okeh to announce their arrival.
That communication was reportedly the last known contact with the engineers.
Their disappearance was subsequently reported as a suspected kidnapping. The vehicle was also reported missing.
NELAN Consultants petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, seeking intervention and an urgent search for the missing workers.
In November 2021, the Ebonyi State Police Command confirmed that the engineers had gone missing in the troubled Effium area and said its anti-kidnapping unit had been directed to pursue the suspects and secure their rescue.
The community was then experiencing violent communal conflict between Effium and Ezza-Effium groups.
Umahi’s Account and NELAN Engineers Families’ Objections
The disappearance of the NELAN Engineers became more controversial after then-Governor Umahi reported remarks in November 2021.
Umahi said that a suspect arrested in connection with the incident had confessed that the engineers were killed and buried.
The families said they were not adequately informed of such a development and continued to demand evidence establishing what had happened to their husbands.
In March 2026, following renewed protests by NELAN engineers’ relatives at the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja, Umahi — who is now Minister of Works — maintained that the engineers were victims of the wider communal violence between Effium and Ezza-Effium communities.
In a statement issued through his media aide, he said the men were not specifically targeted but were among those affected by the conflict.
He expressed sympathy with their families and maintained that the matter remained subject to judicial proceedings.
The families rejected the explanation, insisting that the authorities had not provided sufficient evidence to establish that their husbands were dead.
They have repeatedly pointed out that neither the engineers nor their remains have been recovered.
NELAN Engineers’ Families Petition Tinubu and National Assembly
In March 2026, the wives of the missing NELAN engineers petitioned President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, demanding federal intervention.
The petition, submitted through their solicitors, CNO Attorneys, called for renewed investigations by the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS).
The families also raised concerns about the handling of the investigation.
The expressed dissatisfaction over the alleged removal of a DSS investigator, Victor Chijioke Onyesom, and the reported seizure of his work equipment containing investigative materials.
These are allegations made by the petitioners and have not been independently established.
The families’ campaign also included a protest at the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja on March 16, 2026.
The relatives carried placards there demanding answers about the whereabouts of the engineers.
Court Records Raise Fresh Questions About NELAN Engineers
A further development emerged in July 2026, when the NELAN engineers’ families said they had obtained Certified True Copies of proceedings in a criminal case connected to the disappearance.
Records from the Ebonyi State High Court in Ezzamgbo showed that six defendants had been arraigned over the alleged kidnapping of the engineers.
The proceedings reportedly showed that three defendants were admitted to bail on self-recognisance in May 2025.
The bail came after the prosecution informed the court that they had been granted amnesty by the Ebonyi State Government.
The court record also indicated that the case did not make substantial progress after the proceedings were adjourned to June 4, 2025.
At a sitting on May 8, 2026, neither the defendants nor legal representatives appeared.
The court subsequently ordered hearing notices to be issued.
Another sitting on May 22 also reportedly recorded the absence of the defendants and their lawyers.
The families questioned why the case was being prosecuted as an alleged kidnapping if the government maintained that the engineers had been killed during communal violence.
They also sought an independent review of the proceedings by the National Judicial Council, Nigerian Bar Association and other relevant institutions.
The court records document criminal proceedings and the prosecution’s allegations.
They do not establish the fate of the five engineers or determine who was ultimately responsible for their disappearance.
Five Years Without Answers
The disappearance of five NELAN engineers, Nelson Onyemeh, Ernest Edeani, Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Samuel Aneke and Stanley Nwazulum, remains a painful episode for their families and a serious public accountability question.
The case raises several unresolved issues:
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What happened to the five engineers after their last reported contact in Effium?
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Who was responsible for their disappearance?
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What happened to the official Toyota Hilux they travelled in?
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Were the engineers killed, and if so, where are their remains?
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What became of the investigation and the suspects arraigned over the alleged kidnapping?
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Why has the criminal case reportedly made so little progress?
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Have the allegations concerning the consultancy contract and the investigation been thoroughly examined?
Five years after the engineers left Enugu for what was expected to be a routine professional assignment, their families are still waiting for definitive answers.
The passage of time has not resolved the mystery.
Their whereabouts remain unknown, and the public record still leaves fundamental questions unanswered:
What happened to the five NELAN engineers?
Editorial note:
The official position says the men remain missing and no bodies have been recovered.
This report also includes Umahi’s public position that they died during communal violence.
Meanwhile, it was made clear that the families dispute this and that the court records do not settle the question of their fate.
This distinction is important for a legally responsible publication.
