The families of the five missing consultants of NELAN Consulting Ltd have renewed their demand for justice after obtaining what they described as disturbing court records showing that suspects arraigned over the disappearance of their loved ones were allegedly granted bail on self-recognisance, later granted amnesty by the Ebonyi State Government, and subsequently disappeared.

The devastated families, represented by the wives of the missing engineers,Mrs. Patricia Onyemeh, Mrs. Lovette Edeani, Mrs. Ifeoma Ejiofor, Mrs. Esther Aneke and Mrs. Nwazulum,said the revelations have deepened their pain and raised serious questions about the handling of the case since their husbands vanished in 2022.

The five engineers were consultants supervising the African Development Bank (AfDB)-funded Ring Road project in Ebonyi State.

According to their families, they were abducted after travelling to the state for a meeting allegedly arranged by the administration of the then Governor David Umahi.

The families said they secured a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the court proceedings through their counsel, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), following public comments by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, during a protest by the victims’ relatives.

Umahi had reportedly maintained that the engineers were killed during a communal clash in Ebonyi State and that those responsible had been arrested and were standing trial. However, the families said the court records they obtained tell a different story.

According to them, the records reveal that six suspects were arraigned in Charge No. HKW/7C/2022 before Justice J. Igboji of the Ebonyi State High Court sitting in Ezzamgbo on charges bordering on kidnapping, not murder.

The families further alleged that the proceedings showed two of the suspects were discharged for lack of a prima facie case, while three others were admitted to bail on self-recognisance before later benefiting from an amnesty granted by the Ebonyi State Government.

They also claimed the court record indicated that the suspects subsequently stopped appearing in court, prompting the judge to summon the state’s counsel to explain their absence.

Beyond the contents of the proceedings, the families described their efforts to obtain the records as frustrating, alleging that they were initially informed the case file could not be located because it had allegedly been kept at the judge’s residence.

They said the file only surfaced after sustained pressure and repeated follow-ups by their legal team.

Expressing anguish, the families said they remain without any knowledge of the whereabouts of their loved ones or the recovery of their bodies, despite repeated claims by the former governor that the engineers had been killed.

“For over four years, we have continued to live with uncertainty, grief and unanswered questions,” the families said in a statement.

They questioned why suspects in what they described as a capital offence would be granted bail on self-recognisance and subsequently granted amnesty before the commencement of trial and without the victims being found.

The families argued that the circumstances surrounding the case have eroded their confidence in the justice system and fuelled suspicions of a cover-up.

They have therefore appealed to the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the National Assembly, the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, civil society organisations and the human rights community to investigate the case and ensure justice is served.

“With heavy hearts and unceasing tears, we appeal to the NJC, JSC, NBA, civil society organisations, the human rights community, the National Assembly and the Ebonyi State House of Assembly to hear our cries, scrutinise the court records, unravel the whereabouts of our breadwinners and bring all those responsible to justice without further delay,” the wives said.

The missing engineers are Engr. Nelson Onyemeh, Chief Executive Officer of NELAN Consulting Ltd, from Anambra State; Engr. Ernest Edeani and Engr. Samuel Aneke, both from Enugu State; and Engr. Ikechukwu Ejiofor and Engr. Stanley Nwazulum, both from Anambra State.