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The Minister of Public Works, David Umahi, has for the first time publicly addressed the death of Miss Mary Habila, dismissing allegations linking him to the incident and insisting there is no indication of foul play in the circumstances surrounding her death.
Speaking on Thursday at a press conference in Abuja, where he also announced new infrastructure projects approved by President Bola Tinubu, the minister described the late nurse as someone who had become part of his family after working closely with him for about three years.
According to Umahi, reports that he had something to do with his death are baseless and an attempt to politicize the tragic incident.
“My lawyer has spoken on my behalf. But one piece of information I would like to correct is that the woman is like my daughter. She has lived with me for three years. She is a staff member of the Federal Medical University. She is a nurse and not a physiotherapist. Her family and mine are like one family,” he said.
The minister also clarified that the deceased worked as a nurse at the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ebonyi State, contrary to reports that identified him as a physiotherapist.
Providing further details, Umahi revealed that Habila had been battling health challenges prior to his death and had been receiving treatment at a Turkish hospital, with medical expenses reportedly covered by him.
“He has his medical records at the Turkish Hospital, we have paid for them. The last one was April 5, and it cost me N2.2 million. The records are there. I paid N2.2 million,” he said.
Recounting what he described as the deceased’s final moments, the minister said Habila had made a telephone call with his girlfriend shortly before he died and reportedly complained of bleeding from his nose.
“He was talking to his girlfriend at the time of her death and complaining that his nose was bleeding. Her girlfriend said, ‘No, you have to report it.’ He said it had stopped. The boyfriend then said, ‘Listen, I’m not going to continue this conversation because you’re bleeding. This will increase bleeding.’
“He told his girlfriend, ‘Don’t hang up on her.’ Her boyfriend disconnects the call. Three minutes later, his girlfriend called again. He didn’t respond.”
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Umahi further explained that the deceased had told his girlfriend that he intended to take a shower before communication was suddenly cut off.
“Even in the morning, he told his girlfriend that he was going to take a shower because he locked the door. When they discovered something was wrong, they broke the door and found he was dead. The tap was still running,” Umahi said.
He stressed that the guest house where Habila died was separate from his private residence and questioned efforts to hold him personally responsible simply because the facility belonged to the Ministry of Public Works.
“What makes me confused in this country is that everything is an opportunity. There is a guesthouse where he and other medical personnel are staying, and it is very far from where I am staying. Does this mean that because someone died at the PUPR Ministry, the minister must be responsible?” he asked.
The minister expressed concern over what he described as an attempt to exploit the young woman’s death for political purposes.
“Society must be careful when they want to use the unfortunate death of a young girl to play politics. If we have a hand in this murder, then our family and we will also be involved. But if we have no part in this and you are involved in it, be careful. Life is spiritual,” he said.
Umahi described the deceased as one of his most reliable staff members, and said his death had created a huge void.
“It hurts me a lot that the girl died. It was very difficult to replace her. She was one of my best workers,” he said.
The Minister of Finance also revealed that investigators had not been able to carry out an autopsy because the family of the deceased objected for cultural reasons. However, he emphasized that determining the exact cause of death through a post-mortem examination was very important.
“We have asked the parents to allow an autopsy. They say it is against their culture. But we insist through our lawyer that an autopsy must be carried out. I have ordered that the body cannot be removed before the autopsy,” he said.
Umahi revealed that he had asked the Inspector General of Police to transfer the investigation to Abuja to ensure a thorough investigation and facilitate discussions with the family of the deceased.
“We have reported it to the Inspector General of Police to transfer this case to Abuja. Let the family request that an autopsy be carried out. I also ask that the family meet with the Inspector General so that he can convince them,” he said.
He further claimed that the deceased had experienced a similar nosebleed during a previous official trip.
“Her boyfriend also told us that when we were in Lagos, he called her and said that he was bleeding from the nose. He advised her to report to me so that I could send her back to the hospital, but he didn’t want to stress me out. He then told her to look for a hospital nearby and seek treatment,” Umahi said.
The minister urged investigators to retrieve telephone records between Habila and his girlfriend, saying the conversations could provide useful insight into his final moments.
“I have asked the police to look at the call logs. They have to look at the boy’s call log and the girl’s call log, and they will hear the girl’s last conversation with her boyfriend at the time of her death,” he said.
Asserting that investigations must continue without interference, Umahi reiterated that he saw no indication of any criminal activity.
“I don’t think there was foul play because another woman who lived with him slept in the same bed. Her room was still locked, and the door had to be broken open before they found the body. The tap was still on because I thought she was going to take a shower,” he said.
He also criticized the circulation of photos allegedly taken after the bodies were taken to the morgue, and accused several police personnel of leaking images that fueled public speculation.
“When they took him to the morgue, that’s where the police took his pictures. They didn’t dress him up in the morgue before taking the pictures and sending damaging information,” he said.
The minister added that he had instructed his legal team to pursue those responsible for what he called misinformation and cyberbullying arising from the case.
“I have directed my lawyers to raise this issue with those involved in cyberbullying. We will test the law regarding it,” he added.
Mary Habila’s death has attracted widespread public attention following reports that she died at a government guest house linked to the Ministry of Public Works. Although the police investigation continues, an autopsy—considered crucial to determine the exact cause of his death—has not yet been carried out due to reported objections raised by his family members.
