Families of engineers who disappeared after travelling to Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, for a meeting connected to a government project have announced a change of venue for their planned protest in Abuja as they continue to demand answers over the mysterious incident.
Missing Engineers’ Families Move Abuja Protest to Ministry of Works
Demand Justice, Ask Minister David Umahi to Step Aside Over Disappearance
According to SaharaReporters, the protest is now scheduled to take place on March 16, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the grounds of the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja.
The engineers were said to be working with Nelan Consultants and had travelled to Abakaliki for a meeting during the tenure of David Umahi as governor of Ebonyi State. Their disappearance has remained unresolved for years, leaving families searching for answers.
In a statement issued on Friday, the protest organisers confirmed that the demonstration would no longer hold at the National Assembly of Nigeria complex as initially planned.
“The location of the protest has been changed from the National Assembly Complex to the grounds of the Ministry of Works. The protest will take place on the 16th of March, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.,” the statement said.
The families said they intend to demand justice and transparency regarding the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the engineers.
They also called on Umahi, who currently serves as Nigeria’s Minister of Works, to step aside and provide clarifications about the fate of their loved ones.
According to the organisers, the protest is aimed not only at seeking answers from the ministry but also at ensuring that a transparent investigation is carried out. They added that if the remains of the engineers are eventually recovered, they should be returned to their families for proper burial.
The families further appealed to civil society organisations, journalists and concerned Nigerians to join the protest in solidarity, stressing that the plight of widows and children left behind must not be ignored.
SaharaReporters gathered that new details about the case have emerged from phone tracking records and testimonies provided by family members of the missing engineers.
The engineers were reportedly connected to the Abakaliki Ring Road project, which was initiated during Umahi’s administration as governor before he later became Minister of Works under the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Sources within the families claim that phone triangulation data and call records allegedly showed repeated communication between a suspected kidnapper known as “Small,” who is now deceased, and individuals connected to the project.
The suspect, identified by family members through the phone number 08088985480, allegedly contacted relatives of the engineers shortly after their disappearance.
According to the families, the caller initially claimed that one of the engineers had been involved in an accident and urgently needed money for treatment, a claim they later suspected was part of a kidnapping scheme.
Family members also alleged that the same individual had previously been linked to the killing of Chike Akunyili, husband of former Minister of Information Dora Akunyili.
The families say they will continue to push for accountability until the truth about what happened to the engineers is uncovered.
