Engineer David Umahi, the Minister of Works, has debunked allegations linking him to the death of Miss Mary Habila, a staff member who died at one of the ministry’s guest houses in Uburu, Ebonyi State, insisting he had no reason to suspect foul play.
He described attempts to associate him with the incident as politically motivated.
While addressing newsmen in Abuja on Thursday during a briefing on recently approved infrastructure projects, the Umahi clarified that the deceased was a nurse employed by the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ebonyi State, and not a physiotherapist as reported in some quarters.
Mr. Umahi explained that Habila had lived and worked closely with him for about three years, adding that she shared a close relationship with his family.
He also appealed to the deceased’s family to allow an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, stressing that the body should not be released for burial until the examination is 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.”
Umahi disclosed that Habila had been receiving medical treatment at a Turkish hospital, with the expenses reportedly borne 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 further narrated what he described as the deceased’s final moments, saying she had informed her boyfriend during a telephone conversation that she was experiencing a nosebleed before communication was lost.
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.”
He added that the deceased had earlier informed her boyfriend that she intended to take a bath before the call ended.
“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 former governor reiterated that the guest house where the incident occurred was located some distance from his private residence, arguing that it was unreasonable to hold him personally responsible because the facility belonged 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.
He also condemned what he described as efforts to politicise the young woman’s death.
“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.
While expressing grief over the loss, Umahi described Habila as one of his most dependable workers.
“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.
He disclosed that investigators had been unable to conduct an autopsy because the deceased’s family had objected on cultural grounds.
“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.”
Umahi said he had requested the Inspector-General of Police to transfer the investigation to Abuja to ensure a comprehensive probe and facilitate engagement 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.
He further claimed that the deceased had experienced similar nosebleeds on previous official trips.
“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.”
The minister urged investigators to obtain 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 insisting that the investigation should proceed without interference, Umahi maintained there was nothing before him to suggest criminal involvement.
“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.
He also criticised the circulation of photographs allegedly taken at the mortuary.
“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.”
The minister vowed to pursue legal action against individuals and media organisations he accused of spreading false information and cyberbullying over the matter.
“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
