The families of the five missing consultants of NELAN Consulting Ltd, who were appointed to supervise the African Development Bank (AfDB)-funded Ring Road project in Ebonyi State, have raised a fresh alarm over alleged disturbing discoveries in the records of court proceedings relating to the case.
The consultants were abducted after travelling to Ebonyi State for a meeting arranged by the then David Umahi-led Ebonyi State government.
The fresh concerns were raised by the wives of the five engineers Mrs Patricia Onyemeh, Mrs Lovette Edeani, Mrs Ifeoma Ejiofor, Mrs Esther Aneke and Mrs Nwazulum, following the release of a certified true copy of the court proceedings obtained from the registry of the High Court of Ebonyi State, Ezzamgbo, headed by Justice J. Igboji.
The record was obtained through their lead counsel, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), of Falana and Falana Chambers, after a statement by the minister of Works, David Umahi, during a protest by the families of the victims.
In the statement issued through a director in the Ministry of Works, Umahi, a former governor of Ebonyi State, maintained that the five NELAN consultants were killed during a communal clash in Ebonyi and added that those responsible had been arrested and were facing trial.
However, the families disputed the claim of a communal clash and subsequently applied for the court records to verify the minister’s assertions.
Narrating their experience in obtaining the court documents, the families said they were initially informed that the court only sat once in 2022 for the arraignment of the six suspects in the kidnapping case and granted them bail, after which no further proceedings took place.
They appealed to the National Judicial Council (NJC), Judicial Service Commission/Committee (JSC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), civil society organisations (CSOs), human rights groups, the National Assembly and the Ebonyi State House of Assembly to intervene.
“With heavy hearts and unceasing tears in our eyes, we appeal to the National Judicial Council (NJC), Judicial Service Commission/Committee (JSC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Human Rights Community, National Assembly and Ebonyi State House of Assembly to hear our cries, scrutinise the record of proceedings, unravel the whereabouts of our breadwinners and bring all masterminds, culprits and conspirators to book without further delay,” the wives stated.
They said they were later informed that the case file could not be located, alleging that the judge had kept the file after the arraignment but was unable to trace its whereabouts.
Following persistent demands by the families’ lawyers for the release of the proceedings, the court records were eventually made available, revealing what the families described as inconsistencies and troubling developments in the handling of the case.
According to the certified true copy of the proceedings signed by Justice Igboji, with Charge No. HKW/7C/2022, the six suspects were arraigned over the alleged kidnapping of the five engineers, but no trial has taken place since 2022.
The families stated that two of the suspects were discharged after arraignment on the grounds of an alleged absence of a prima facie case, while three others were granted bail on self-recognisance over the kidnapping charge.
They further alleged that the Ebonyi State government later granted the suspects amnesty, after which they stopped appearing in court.
“The three applicants who are said to be enjoying the amnesty of the Ebonyi State government are admitted to bail on self-recognisances,” the judge stated.
In another proceeding, the court noted, “For the third time, the defendants are absent and I hereby order that M. Ezike, Esq., senior counsel who informed this court about the state granting amnesty to the defendants only to keep away till date, to appear in court … to explain himself.”
The families noted that while Umahi had repeatedly stated publicly that the five engineers were killed, the court records referred to the matter as a kidnapping case, raising questions over the circumstances surrounding the incident.
They further questioned the decision to grant bail to suspects linked to a capital offence and the subsequent granting of amnesty before the conclusion of trial and recovery of the victims’ bodies, expressing fears that the developments could undermine public confidence in the justice system.
The missing consultants are Engr Nelson Onyemeh, lead consultant and Chief Executive Officer of NELAN Consulting Ltd, 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; and Engr Stanley Nwazulum from Amawbia, Anambra State.
