Minister of Works David Umahi has broken his silence over the death of Mary Habila, the nurse who died at his residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State, insisting that he suspects no foul play.
Speaking during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the minister described the deceased as “like a daughter” and appealed to Nigerians not to politicise the incident while investigations continue.
“Habila was “like a daughter” – Umahi says
Umahi said Habila had worked closely with him for about three years and enjoyed a close relationship with his family.
He also clarified that she was a nurse attached to the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ebonyi State, and not a physiotherapist as earlier reported.
He stated:
“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.”
“I paid ₦2.2 million for her treatment”
The minister disclosed that Habila had been receiving treatment at a Turkish hospital before her death, adding that he personally paid for her medical expenses.
“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,” he alleged.
Umahi recounts Habila’s final moments
Umahi also narrated what he said were Habila’s final moments before she was found dead.
According to him, she was speaking with her boyfriend shortly before her death and complained that she was bleeding from the nose.
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.”
The minister added that Habila had earlier informed her boyfriend that she intended to take a bath.
“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.”
Minister urges family to approve autopsy
Umahi appealed to Habila’s family to allow a forensic autopsy to determine the exact cause of her death.
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.”
He also disclosed that he had asked the Inspector-General of Police to transfer the investigation to Abuja.
“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.”
“I suspect no foul play”
The minister maintained that there was no indication of 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 added that Habila had experienced similar nosebleeds in the past.
“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.”
Umahi also urged investigators to examine the phone records between Habila 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.”
Minister condemns politicisation of incident
The minister criticised attempts to link him to the incident simply because it occurred at a ministry guest house.
He said:
“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 also warned against exploiting the incident for political reasons.
“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.”
Describing Habila as one of his most dedicated staff members, Umahi said:
“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 further criticised the circulation of photographs allegedly taken at the mortuary and vowed to pursue legal action against those he accused of spreading false information.
“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.”
He added:
“I have directed my lawyers to get across to those involved in cyberbullying this matter. We are going to test the law on that.”
Police investigations into Habila’s death are ongoing, while authorities continue to push for a forensic autopsy to determine the exact cause of her death.
See below;
https://x.com/ChuksEricE/status/2077806673712820450/video/1?s=46
