Minister of Works, Davide Umahi.
By John Alechenu, ABUJA
Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has spoken publicly for the first time on the death of Miss Mary Habila, describing her as “like a daughter” to him.
Habila, a nurse with the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, died on June 27, 2026, at a guest house within the minister’s residence in Umunaga, Uburu, Ebonyi State.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, Umahi clarified that Habila was a nurse and not a physiotherapist as previously reported in some quarters.
“The lady in question was like a daughter to me. She had stayed with me for three years. She was a staff of the Federal Medical University. She was a nurse and not a physiotherapist,” he said.
The minister explained that Habila and another female staff member from Benue State were the only occupants of the guest house, which he said was separate from his main residence.
Umahi said that on the night of her death, Habila spoke with her boyfriend and complained of experiencing nose bleeding.
According to him, she informed her boyfriend that the bleeding had stopped after he advised her to report the matter to her boss.
“The boyfriend then said he would not continue talking so the bleeding would not get worse. She begged him not to cut the call. He did. Three minutes later he called back. She was no longer picking,” Umahi said.
He added that her colleagues forced open the door to her room the following morning after she failed to respond to calls.
“When they broke the door, they found her dead. The tap was still running. I think she wanted to have her bath,” he said.
Umahi said he had, through his lawyers, requested that an autopsy be conducted to establish the cause of death, adding that the family had declined the procedure due to cultural reasons.
“We told our lawyer that autopsy should be done. We are begging the parents to allow it. They said it is against their culture,” he said.
The minister disclosed that the matter had been reported to the Inspector-General of Police and that he had requested the transfer of the investigation to Abuja.
“I have directed that the corpse should not be removed until an autopsy is done,” he added.
Umahi also revealed that Habila had been receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical condition at Turkish Hospital, Abuja, adding that the medical bills were paid by his family.
He said the last payment made for her treatment was about N2.2 million on April 5, adding that relevant medical records were available at the hospital.
The minister expressed sadness over what he described as attempts by some individuals to draw political conclusions from the incident.
“What baffles me is that everything becomes politics in this country. Must the minister be held responsible because somebody died in a guest house under the Ministry of Works? Is that how it works?” he asked.
Umahi also said he had instructed his lawyers to take legal action against individuals spreading what he described as false information about the matter online.
“We are going to test the law on cyberbullying over this matter,” he said.
He maintained that he had no reason to suspect foul play, noting that the door to Habila’s room was locked and had to be forced open before she was found.
