Umahi Debunks Negligence In Ebonyi Engineers’ Killing, Says Arrests Made, Case Stays In Courtroom
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, on Monday denied allegations of negligence within the killing of 5 engineers working for NELAN Consulting Engineers in Ebonyi State, saying the incident occurred amid a violent communal disaster and that authorities on the time took swift motion to analyze the crime.
The minister’s response adopted a protest in Abuja by people recognized as relations and sympathisers of the slain engineers, who demanded justice 4 years after the incident.
In a press release issued in Abuja by his Senior Particular Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, Umahi stated the protest had drawn the eye of his workplace however insisted that his administration as governor of the state didn’t abandon the case.
He expressed sympathy for the households of the victims, describing the deaths as a painful tragedy, however maintained that the matter had been handled with seriousness whereas he served as governor.
Based on the assertion, the disappearance of the engineers occurred on November 3, 2021, in the course of the top of the violent communal battle between Effium and Ezza-Effium {groups} in Effium.
The minister stated the engineers weren’t focused in isolation however have been victims of a broader disaster that claimed a number of lives and destroyed property in the course of the battle.
Umahi acknowledged that instantly the data reached him as governor, he mobilised safety businesses and initiated search and investigative operations to find out the destiny of the victims and establish these accountable.
He added that he personally visited the scene with safety operatives and was immediately concerned within the search efforts, stressing that the state authorities by no means handled the matter calmly.
The assertion famous that the investigations led to the arrest of suspects who allegedly confessed to committing the crime, including that they’d remained in custody since then whereas the case continued in court docket.
“The unlucky disappearance of the engineers occurred on the top of the violent Effium vs. Ezza Effium communal battle, a disaster that consumed lives and properties and threw the realm into extreme insecurity. The engineers weren’t singled out in isolation; they have been victims of a wider battle that tragically claimed many lives throughout that interval.
“Instantly the details about the incident reached the then Governor of Ebonyi State, Senator David Umahi, he swiftly mobilised safety businesses and launched intensive search and investigative efforts to find out the whereabouts of the engineers and convey the perpetrators to justice.
“He personally visited the incident web site with safety operatives and was immediately concerned within the search efforts. He by no means handled the matter calmly and by no means seemed away from the accountability of the state to pursue the reality.
“These efforts led to the arrest of people concerned within the dastardly act. These arrested confessed to committing the crime, they usually have remained in custody since then. The matter continues to be earlier than the court docket, and the judicial course of continues even after Senator Umahi left workplace as governor.
“It should due to this fact be clearly understood that the federal government below Senator Umahi didn’t abandon the matter, suppress it, or fail to behave. Swift investigative actions have been taken, arrests have been made, and the suspects have been handed over to the justice system, the place the case continues to be prosecuted,” he acknowledged.
The minister additionally stated the violent communal disaster that engulfed the Effiumarea on the time created a harmful safety setting that led to the lack of a number of harmless lives, together with the engineers.
Whereas expressing sympathy with the households, Umahi urged that public discourse on the difficulty be guided by details and the continued judicial course of.
The engineers: Nelson Onyemeh, Ernest Edeani, Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Samuel Aneke and Stanley Nwazulum have been workers of NELAN Consulting Engineers, an Enugu-based agency supervising the Abakaliki Ring Highway mission financed by the African Growth {Bank} (AfDB).
They have been reportedly kidnapped whereas finishing up supervisory work on the mission in Effium neighborhood in Ohaukwu Native Authorities Space. The incident occurred at a time when violent communal clashes between Effiumand Ezza-Effium {groups} had created widespread insecurity within the space.
Following their disappearance, there have been stories and allegations that the engineers had been killed and buried in a forest, though their our bodies have been by no means publicly recovered. The case triggered controversy on the time and prompted requires investigations by lawmakers, civil society {groups} and members of the engineering neighborhood.
4 years after the incident, households of the victims have continued to demand solutions, petitioning the federal authorities and staging protests in Abuja to press authorities to find out the destiny of the engineers and prosecute these accountable.
Emmanuel Addeh
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