Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has broken his silence over the death of a member of his medical team, Mary Habila, at his residence in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, insisting that a thorough investigation, including an autopsy, is necessary to establish the cause of her death.
Habila, a nurse with the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital who was on secondment to the Federal Ministry of Works, died on June 27 in a staff quarters located within the minister’s residence in Uburu. The incident has generated widespread public attention and speculation.
Speaking to journalists during a road inspection and later at a press conference in Abuja, Umahi described the deceased as “like a daughter,” saying she had worked with him for about three years and was a trusted member of his medical team.
“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 David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital. My family and her family are like one family,” the minister said.
He dismissed social media reports suggesting that unidentified women were brought into his residence, describing such claims as false and malicious.
“Somebody is giving the impression that ‘runs girls’ were transported to our residence. My lawyers have been briefed and will take legal action against those spreading falsehoods and using the death of a young woman to create misleading content,” he said.
Providing further details, Umahi explained that Habila and another female member of his medical team were the only occupants of the staff building where the incident occurred, stressing that the facility is reserved exclusively for his employees and not part of his personal living quarters.
The minister also disclosed that Habila had spoken with her boyfriend shortly before her death, during which she reportedly complained of a nosebleed.
According to Umahi, the boyfriend advised her to seek medical attention after she informed him she was bleeding from the nose. Although she later told him the bleeding had stopped, he ended the call and attempted to reach her again a few minutes later without success.
“When they broke the door the following morning, the tap was still running,” Umahi said, adding that he had directed investigators to obtain the call records between the deceased and her boyfriend as part of efforts to determine the circumstances surrounding her death.
Umahi further alleged that photographs of the deceased taken at the mortuary were leaked by some police officers and circulated on social media to fuel speculation surrounding the incident.
Meanwhile, the Ebonyi State Police Command has insisted that an autopsy will be carried out despite reported objections from some members of the deceased’s family.
Police spokesperson, SP Joshua Ukandu, said the command considers a post-mortem examination essential to determine the actual cause of death and support its ongoing investigation.
In a separate letter dated July 15 and addressed to the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police through his counsel, Roy Nwaeze, Umahi formally requested that the police conduct a comprehensive forensic autopsy and withhold the release of Habila’s remains until the examination is completed.
According to the minister’s legal representative, the request is intended to ensure transparency, preserve the integrity of the investigation and eliminate speculation surrounding the incident.
The police said detectives have visited the scene, obtained statements from relevant persons and are awaiting the presence of the deceased’s family or their authorised representatives before proceeding with the post-mortem examination.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mary Habila’s death is ongoing.