By Amofokhai Williams
Minister of Works David Umahi has dismissed speculation linking him to the death of Miss Mary Habila, a staff member who died at a government guest house in Uburu, Ebonyi State, insisting he suspects no foul play and describing attempts to politicise the incident as “politics taken too far.”
Speaking on Thursday during a press briefing in Abuja, Umahi said the deceased was like a daughter to him, having lived and worked closely with his family for about three years.
He clarified that Habila was a nurse employed by the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ebonyi State, and not a physiotherapist as widely reported.
According to the minister, the late nurse had a history of medical challenges and had been receiving treatment at a Turkish Hospital, with her medical expenses personally funded by him.
He disclosed that the most recent treatment, carried out on April 5, cost ₦2.2 million, adding that all medical records were available.
Providing details of her final moments, Umahi said Habila had been on the phone with her boyfriend shortly before her death and complained of bleeding from her nose.
He said the boyfriend advised her to seek medical attention and ended the conversation after she insisted he should remain on the line despite the nosebleed. When he called back about three minutes later, she was no longer responding.
Umahi added that Habila had earlier informed her boyfriend that she intended to take a bath.
According to him, when colleagues became concerned after she failed to respond, they forced open the locked room and found her dead, with the tap still running.
The minister stressed that the guest house where the incident occurred was separate from his personal residence and housed several medical personnel.
“What baffles me in this country is that everything becomes an opportunity. Does it mean that because somebody dies in the Ministry of Works’ guest house, the minister must be accountable for that?” He asked.
Umahi described Habila as one of his most dedicated staff members and said her death had deeply affected him.
“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.
The minister appealed to the deceased’s family to allow an autopsy, describing it as the only way to establish the exact cause of death.
He disclosed that the family had declined the procedure on cultural grounds but said he had instructed that the body should not be released for burial until an autopsy was conducted.
Umahi also revealed 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.
He further claimed that Habila had experienced similar episodes of nosebleeding in the past, including during an official trip to Lagos, when her boyfriend advised her to seek medical attention.
The minister urged investigators to obtain the telephone records between the deceased and her boyfriend, saying the conversations could provide useful information about her final hours.
Maintaining that there was no indication of criminal activity, Umahi said the circumstances surrounding the death did not suggest foul play.
“I suspect no foul play because the other lady who stayed with her was sleeping in the same room. The room was locked from inside and had to be forced open before she was found,” he said.
He also criticised the circulation of photographs allegedly taken at the mortuary, accusing some police officers of leaking the images and misleading the public.
Umahi warned that legal action would be taken against individuals and media organisations found to have circulated false information or engaged in cyberbullying over the incident.
The death of Mary Habila has attracted widespread public attention and triggered calls from some groups, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, for an independent investigation.
Police investigations are ongoing, while an autopsy, considered crucial to determining the cause of death, is yet to be conducted due to objections from the deceased’s family.
