Wives of five engineers employed by NELAN Construction Limited, who were abducted in November 2021 while working on the Abakaliki Ring Road project in Ebonyi State, staged a protest on Monday at the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja.
The women demanded answers nearly four years after the abduction, highlighting what they described as prolonged silence and a lack of accountability from authorities over the fate of their husbands.
The missing engineers are Nelson Onyemeh, Ernest Edeani, Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Samuel Aneke, and Stanley Nwazulum, were reportedly kidnapped while supervising construction work on the ring road, a project funded by the African Development Bank to improve traffic flow and economic connectivity in the state capital.
At the time of the abduction, Ebonyi State was under the administration of former governor Dave Umahi, who now serves as Nigeria’s Minister of Works.
The incident occurred amid growing security concerns in the South-East, where attacks on public infrastructure and construction workers have become increasingly frequent. Contractors and workers in the region have reported kidnappings, threats, and disruptions to projects over the past several years.
During the protest, some wives carried placards urging the Federal Government and relevant authorities to intervene. Esther Aneke, wife of Samuel Aneke, made an emotional plea:
“My husband left me in Adamawa on October 30, 2021, to Ebonyi. I was two months and two weeks pregnant. I have not seen him or his body. Please, I am asking for justice. Please, they should release my husband wherever he is.”
Civil society organisations at the protest called for greater transparency and a diligent pursuit of the case.
Director of Human Resources at the Ministry of Works, Ahmad Muhammad, disclosed that the matter remains before a court and falls primarily under Ebonyi State jurisdiction. He urged protesters to avoid actions that could interfere with legal proceedings.
“This has to be addressed in Ebonyi, not in this office. When the matter is in court, nobody has the right to do anything,” he said.
Despite the ministry’s explanation, the families insisted that the Federal Government intervene, noting that the road project involved international financing and public infrastructure.
The abduction occurred during a peak in national kidnapping, with security data showing that at least 2,944 people were abducted across Nigeria between January and June 2021 alone, highlighting the scale of the crisis.