A new investigation by SaharaReporters has emerged over the mysterious disappearance and alleged killing of five engineers working with Nelan Consultants after they travelled to Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, in November 2021.
The report contains allegations linking the office of the former governor of the state, now Minister of Works, David Umahi, to individuals suspected of orchestrating the crime.
The controversy surrounding the disappearance of the five engineers allegedly indicates that Chioma Nweze, a lawyer and currently Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Community Engagement (South-East), alongside project coordinator Felix Otta, allegedly communicated with individuals suspected of orchestrating the disappearance and killing of the engineers.
The engineers, who worked for Nelan Consultants, had been supervising the African Development Bank–sponsored Abakaliki Ring Road project in Ebonyi State during the tenure of former governor Umahi, who now serves as Nigeria’s Minister of Works.
The victims were identified as Nelson Onyemeh, Engr. Stanley Nwazulum, Engr. Samuel Aneke, Engr. Ernest Edeani, and Engr. Ikechukwu Ejiofor.
More than four years after their disappearance, their families insist that the truth about what happened to them has been deliberately suppressed.
Engineers Summoned To Abakaliki Before Disappearance
SaharaReporters gathered that the engineers allegedly disappeared shortly after travelling to Abakaliki on November 3, 2021, following a meeting request linked to issues surrounding the supervision of the Abakaliki Ring Road project.
The project was funded by the African Development Bank and supervised by Nelan Consultants, a firm where the lead engineer, Nelson Onyemeh, was a partner.
Speaking exclusively to SaharaReporters on Tuesday, Patricia Onyemeh, the wife of the lead engineer, described how tensions had developed between her husband and then-Governor Umahi shortly before the engineers vanished.
“My husband had serious issues with Umahi concerning the African Development Bank sponsored Abakaliki Ring Road project,” Patricia said.
“According to Nelson, David Umahi asked Nelan Consultants to take a ‘back seat’ because he wanted to control the project himself. Nelson refused because the request violated the contract terms and could get the company blacklisted by the African Development Bank.”
She explained that the governor allegedly wanted Nelan Consultants to sign off on certificates of satisfactory completion for work supervised by other engineers.
“My husband told me clearly that he would never sign a certificate of satisfactory completion for a project he did not supervise. He said no one could force him to do it,” she said.
Last Conversation Before Journey
Patricia recalled that on November 2, 2021, the night before the trip to Abakaliki, her husband discussed the situation with her during breakfast.
“He told me Umahi was putting a lot of pressure on him to step aside and allow other engineers to supervise the project while Nelan would later sign the completion documents,” she said.
“He said he would never do such a thing because it would violate the contract and compromise his professional integrity.”
Patricia said she warned her husband to be careful before leaving for the trip.
“I told him, ‘Nelson, be careful.’ But he told me, ‘Nothing is going to happen to me.’ Those were the last words he said before he left,” she recalled.
On November 3, 2021, Nelson travelled to Abakaliki alongside four colleagues, namely Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Samuel Aneke, Stanley Nwazulum and Ernest Edeani.
“They never returned from that trip,” Patricia said.
Mysterious Phone Calls and Ransom Request
According to Patricia, shortly after the engineers disappeared, a suspicious phone number repeatedly called her husband’s business partner, Engineer Benjamin Ezawu.
“The number called him eight times but he didn’t answer because he didn’t recognise it,” she explained.
When the call was later returned, the caller claimed Nelson had been involved in an accident and demanded money for drugs.
“They asked for ₦50,000,” Patricia said.
“I transferred the money hoping the authorities would track the person collecting it, but nothing came out of it.”
Tracking Allegedly Linked To Tinubu’s Aide
Patricia said the family later contacted the Department of State Services (DSS) in Enugu to help track the phone calls connected to the disappearance.
A former DSS officer identified as Victor Chijioke Oyeso carried out a triangulation analysis of phone communications linked to the kidnappers.
According to Patricia, the tracking report showed repeated communication between the kidnappers and individuals linked to the project.
“The triangulation report showed that Barrister Chioma Nweze, who was a close adviser to Umahi and also involved in the Ring Road project, was communicating with the kidnappers,” she alleged.
“Felix Otta, another project coordinator, also appeared on the tracking records.”
Patricia added that the same findings were later confirmed by a private tracker hired by the family.
“The private tracker also linked Chioma Nweze to a phone being used by someone calling with one of the engineers’ numbers,” she said.
When contacted by SaharaReporters, the former DSS officer Chijioke confirmed that the triangulation records indeed showed communication between Nweze, Felix Otta and individuals suspected to have coordinated the abduction.
Meanwhile, detailed track records obtained by SaharaReporters indicate that both Nweze and Felix were in contact and communicating with the kidnappers who allegedly killed the engineers.
DSS Officer Dismissed
Patricia said the DSS officer who conducted the investigation was dismissed shortly after compiling the report.
“He told us the case was very clear and he had identified the people involved,” she said.
“But before he could complete the investigation, he was dismissed from service on November 28, 2021.”
The engineers had disappeared on November 3.
Umahi Declared Engineers Dead
The controversy deepened weeks later when Umahi publicly announced that the engineers were dead.
Patricia said she first saw the announcement online.
“On November 30, 2021, Umahi stood up during a Christian Association of Nigeria meeting and said the five engineers were dead and buried in the bush,” she said.
“The police had not said this. The DSS had not said this. Yet he announced it to the world.”
She said she immediately contacted Umahi for clarification.
“I sent him a message asking if my husband was alive or dead,” she said.
“Despite announcing publicly that they were dead, he replied that he did not know the true situation and was still investigating.”
Controversial Skeletal Remains
Months later, police authorities in Ebonyi claimed they had discovered skeletal remains believed to belong to the missing engineers.
According to Patricia, the discovery occurred after pressure from human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), who had intervened in the case.
However, the families insisted on DNA testing before accepting the remains.
“The police initially said they had no money for DNA testing,” Patricia said.
Eventually, the families conducted independent DNA tests in the United States.
“The results showed that none of the skeletal remains belonged to the engineers,” she said.
“One of the remains even belonged to a female.”
Allegations of Evidence Destruction
Patricia further alleged that the skeletal remains later disappeared.
According to her, when Falana contacted the investigating police officer, Bruno Okonkwo, he was told the remains had been incinerated.
“I wonder who authorised them to burn their exhibit,” she said.
Families Demand Justice
Four years after the disappearance, the families of the engineers say they have still not received answers about what happened.
“We have been begging Umahi and Chioma Nweze to produce the bodies of the engineers,” Patricia said.
“We just want to bury our loved ones.”
She added that the emotional toll has been devastating.
“The families are suffering. There is no justice for the poor and the voiceless,” she said.
“Please be our voice. Be our hope. Help us find the truth.”
The disappearance and alleged killing of the engineers remains one of the most controversial unresolved cases linked to the Abakaliki Ring Road project, with families continuing to demand an independent investigation into the roles allegedly played by political officials and project coordinators.
When SaharaReporters contacted Chioma Nweze, the Senior Special Assistant to Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Community Engagement (South-East), she threated to sue the newspaper.
“There is no communication between me and any attackers and I don’t know any attackers. You must send me the chart by DSS unless I will sue you.”