The families of five missing NELAN Consulting Ltd engineers have petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the National Assembly, the Ebonyi State Judicial Service Commission (JSC), civil society organisations and the Ebonyi State House of Assembly over what they describe as serious judicial irregularities in the handling of the case.
Certified court records seen by SaharaReporters show that suspects charged in connection with the engineers’ alleged kidnapping were granted bail on self-recognisance, later benefited from an Ebonyi State Government amnesty, and repeatedly failed to appear in court, stalling the prosecution.
The five consultants disappeared after travelling to Ebonyi State in 2022.
The petition follows certified true copies (CTCs) of proceedings obtained by the family through Falana and Falana’s Chambers, which reveal that suspects charged in connection with the alleged kidnapping were granted bail on self-recognisance, later benefited from an Ebonyi State Government amnesty, and subsequently failed to appear in court, stalling the trial.
The missing engineers were consultants supervising the African Development Bank (AfDB)-funded Ring Road project in Ebonyi State.
The certified true copies of proceedings in Charge No. HKW/7C/2022 were obtained from the High Court of Ebonyi State, Ohaukwu Judicial Division.
The missing consultants are Engr. Nelson Onyemeh, Chief Executive Officer of NELAN Consulting Ltd, from Ihiala in 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.
Court Records Show Trial Stalled After Government Amnesty
The certified court records in The State v. Nweke Arinze & 5 Others (Charge No. HKW/7C/2022) show that proceedings have stalled after the Ebonyi State Government granted amnesty to some of the accused.
During proceedings on May 7, 2025, Acting Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, J.U. Chukwu, admitted that the prosecution could not proceed because its witnesses had become reluctant following the government’s decision.
According to the court record, Chukwu told the court: “Case is for hearing but we are not ready as our witnesses are trying their best to come owing to the amnesty granted the defendants.”
Despite the prosecution’s inability to proceed, Justice John Igboji granted bail on self-recognisance to three defendants.
The court ruled: “The three applicants who are said to be enjoying the amnesty of the Ebonyi State Government are admitted to bail on self-recognizances.”
Defendants Repeatedly Failed To Appear In Court
The CTC further shows that after securing bail, the defendants repeatedly failed to appear before the court.
According to the record, the accused were absent during proceedings held on May 8, May 22 and June 3, 2026, despite hearing notices being issued.
Frustrated by the repeated absences, Justice Igboji directed Senior State Counsel M. Ezike to personally explain the situation.
The court held: “For the third time, the Defendants are absent and I hereby order that M. Ezike Esq. – Senior State Counsel who informed this Court about the State granting amnesty to the Defendants only to keep away till date, to appear in Court on 24/06/2026 to explain himself.”
Court Earlier Refused To Quash Charges
The proceedings also reveal that the trial had earlier survived an attempt by the defence to strike out the names of the fifth and sixth defendants.
Defence counsel argued that there was no evidence linking them to the alleged offence.
However, the prosecution opposed the application, arguing that one of the defendants allegedly served as the Point of Sale (POS) operator through whom ransom payments were made.
According to the prosecution, “The 5th Defendant is the POS Dealer through whom money exchanged hands for ransom.”
Delivering his ruling on March 8, 2023, Justice Igboji dismissed the application, relying on the Supreme Court’s decision in Agbo v. State.
The judge ruled: “Having been fingered on the payment of the ransom for the kidnapping, I am of the firm view that the case ought to proceed for the duo to state their own sides of the story.”
All six defendants subsequently pleaded not guilty.
Families Question Bail, Amnesty Despite Missing Victims
According to the families, the certified court records were obtained following comments made by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, during a protest staged by the families.
The minister had maintained that the five consultants were killed during a communal clash in Ebonyi and that those responsible had been arrested and were standing trial.
However, the families said they rejected that explanation and sought the court records to verify the minister’s claims.
According to the statement, the process of obtaining the court records exposed what they described as disturbing irregularities.
They claimed court officials initially informed them that the matter had only come up once in 2022 when six suspects were arraigned and granted bail, with no further proceedings since then.
The families further alleged that they were later informed the case file was missing because the trial judge had kept it at his residence.
“When pressure became intense on the whereabouts of the case file, with daily follow-ups by the lawyers of the families for the Court to release the demanded record of proceedings, after many back-and-forth excuses, the record of proceedings which reveal further inconsistencies and absurdities vis-Ã -vis the legal system was located,” the statement said.
They lamented that two of the six suspects were discharged after arraignment for lack of a prima facie case, while three others were granted bail on self-recognisance before later receiving amnesty from the Ebonyi State Government.
They also cited an entry in the proceedings which read: “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 on 24/06/2026 to explain himself.”
The families noted what they described as a contradiction between the minister’s public statements and the charges before the court.
“It will be recalled that the then governor who is presently the Minister of Works, Umahi reiterated to the public that the five engineers were killed but the record of proceedings maintained kidnapping which raises critical questions,” they said.
They added that despite repeated public assertions that the engineers had been killed, neither the victims nor their remains had ever been recovered.
“The victims have neither been found alive nor their dead bodies sighted except the announcement by the former Ebonyi governor which he reiterated that the engineers were killed on the 16th March, 2026 during a protest,” the families said.
They argued that the court records raised fundamental concerns about the administration of justice.
“But despite the position, the Court according to its record granted the suspects bail on a capital offence and smartly muted ‘murder’, and in addition, on self-recognizance,” they alleged.
“What is more, the Ebonyi governor according to the record granted the same suspects amnesty even when the trial was yet to commence and even the bodies of the victims are still missing and have not been found.”
The families questioned whether such actions were consistent with established legal practice.
“The critical issues in the episode are numerous. The first is that murder is not a bailable offence, still, the Judge granted bail. The second is that on no account are murder suspects granted bail on self-recognition,” they said.
“The families’ critical question is, do these purported actions by the court and the governor meet the specification and standard in the legal system anywhere in the world or is it a new style in the system to kill human beings and go home on bail and amnesty even when the bodies of their loved ones have not been found?”
Families Petition NJC, NBA, National Assembly
The families appealed to the National Judicial Council, the Judicial Service Commission, the Nigerian Bar Association, the National Assembly, the Ebonyi State House of Assembly and civil society organisations to investigate the matter.
They alleged that the developments suggested attempts to shield those responsible for the disappearance of their loved ones.
“The conspiracies glaringly show that the truth is concealed to shield the culprits who took the lives of their beloved ones out of show of political power,” they alleged.
They warned that failure to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the case could further erode public confidence in Nigeria’s justice system.
