The Minister of Works, David Umahi, on Thursday broke his silence over the death of Miss Mary Habila, a staff member who died at the minister’s residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State, insisting that he suspected no foul play and describing attempts to link him to the incident as “politics taken too far.”
Umahi said the deceased, whom he described as “like a daughter,” had worked closely with him for years and had a history of medical challenges for which he personally funded treatment.
He also revealed that his late aide complained of bleeding from her nose during a phone conversation with her boyfriend shortly before she was found dead, as he insisted there was no evidence of foul play in the incident.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja to update the public on newly approved projects by President Bola Tinubu, the minister disclosed that the deceased was a nurse employed by the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ebonyi State, contrary to reports describing her as a physiotherapist.
The minister’s comments come amid widespread public interest and speculation surrounding the circumstances of the young woman’s death after reports emerged that she died in one of the ministry’s guest houses.
Providing his first detailed account of the incident, Umahi said the deceased had been living and working with him for about three years and enjoyed a close relationship with his family.
He also appealed to the deceased’s family to permit an autopsy to establish the exact cause of death, revealing that he had directed that the body should not be released for burial until the procedure was conducted.
He said, “My lawyers have spoken on my behalf. But one piece of information I want to correct is that the lady in question was like a daughter to me. She had stayed with me for three years. She was a staff member of the Federal Medical University. She was a nurse and not a physiotherapist. And her family and my family are like one family.”
The minister disclosed that the deceased had been receiving treatment at a Turkish hospital before her death, with medical bills allegedly paid by him.
According to him, “She has her medical records in Turkish Hospital, being paid by us. The last one was on the 5th of April, and it cost me N2.2 million. The records are there. I paid N2.2 million.”
Umahi also narrated what he said were the deceased’s final moments before she was found dead, claiming she had complained of bleeding from the nose during a telephone conversation with her boyfriend shortly before communication stopped.
He said, “She spoke to her boyfriend at the hour of her death and complained that she was bleeding from the nose. The boyfriend said, ‘No, you have to report it.’ She said it had stopped. The boyfriend then said, ‘Listen, I will not continue this conversation since you are bleeding. It will increase the bleeding.’
“She told the boyfriend, ‘Don’t cut the call.’ The boyfriend cut the call. Three minutes later, the boyfriend called again. She was not responding.”
According to the minister, the deceased had earlier informed her boyfriend that she intended to take a bath before communication ceased.
“Even in the morning, she told her boyfriend she was going to bathe because she had locked her door. When they discovered something was wrong, they broke down the door and discovered her dead. The tap was still running,” Umahi said.
The minister stressed that the guest house where the deceased died was located far from his personal residence, arguing that it was unfair to hold him personally responsible simply because the incident occurred within facilities linked to the ministry.
“What baffles me in this country is that everything becomes an opportunity. There is a guest house where she and other medical personnel stayed, and that is very far from where I stay. Does it mean that because somebody dies in the Ministry of Works, the minister must be accountable for that?” he asked.
Umahi lamented what he described as attempts to exploit the young woman’s death for political purposes.
“People should be careful when they want to use the unfortunate death of a young girl to play politics. If we have a hand in the killing, it will follow our families and us. But if we don’t have a hand in it and you are jumping into it, be careful. Life is spiritual,” he said.
The minister said the deceased had been one of his most dedicated staff members and that her death had left him devastated.
“It is very painful to me that the girl passed on. It is very difficult to replace her. She was one of my best workers,” he said.
Umahi disclosed that efforts by investigators to conduct an autopsy had so far been unsuccessful because the deceased’s family objected on cultural grounds.
He said, “We have been begging the parents to allow an autopsy to happen. They said it is against their culture. But we insisted through our lawyer that an autopsy should happen. I have directed that the corpse cannot be removed until an autopsy.”
The minister added that he had requested the Inspector-General of Police to transfer the investigation to Abuja to ensure a thorough probe and facilitate discussions with the family.
“We have reported to the Inspector-General of Police to transfer the case to Abuja. Let them beg the family to do an autopsy. I am also begging the family to meet with the Inspector-General so that he can convince them,” he said.
Umahi further claimed that the deceased had previously experienced similar episodes of nosebleed while accompanying him on official assignments.
According to him, “The boyfriend also told us that when we were in Lagos, she called him and said she was bleeding from the nose. He advised her to report to me so I could send her back to the hospital, but she didn’t want to stress me. He then told her to find a hospital around and seek treatment.”
He urged investigators to retrieve the telephone records between the deceased and her boyfriend.
“I have asked the police to go to the call logs. They should go to the call log of the boy and the call log of the girl, and they will hear the last conversation the girl had with the boyfriend at the hour of her death,” he said.
While maintaining that the investigation should run its full course, Umahi said he had seen no evidence suggesting criminal activity.
“I suspect no foul play because the other lady who stayed with her was sleeping in the same bed. Her room was still locked, and the door had to be broken before they discovered the body. The tap was still running because I think she was going to bathe,” he stated.
The minister also criticised the circulation of photographs allegedly taken at the mortuary, accusing some police officers of leaking misleading information.
He said, “When they took her to the mortuary, that was where the police took the picture. They did not dress her up in the mortuary before taking the picture and sending out damaging information.”
Umahi vowed to pursue legal action against media organisations he accused of spreading false information and cyberbullying the deceased.
“I have directed my lawyers to get across to those involved in cyberbullying this matter. We are going to test the law on that,” he added.
The PUNCH reports that the death of the female nurse has generated widespread public attention following reports and social media claims questioning the circumstances surrounding her demise at a government guest house linked to the Ministry of Works. The incident has prompted calls from some groups for an independent investigation, while police authorities have continued inquiries into the case.
An autopsy, which investigators consider crucial to determining the exact cause of death, has yet to be carried out following objections reportedly raised by the deceased’s family on cultural grounds. Police investigations are ongoing.
