Mary Habila Was Like a Daughter to Me – Umahi

Minister of Works Dave Umahi has dismissed allegations of foul play in the death of his female aide, describing the deceased as “like a daughter” and urging the public against politicising the incident.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Umahi said he was deeply pained by the death of Mary Habila and called for calm as relevant authorities conduct investigations.

“One 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,” Umahi said.

“She was a staff of the Federal Medical University. She was a nurse and not a physiotherapist. And the family and my family are like one family.”

The minister disclosed that Habila had been receiving medical treatment at a Turkish hospital, with expenses reportedly covered by him.

He said her latest hospital visit was on April 5, during which N2.2 million was expended on her treatment.

Narrating details leading to her death, Umahi said Habila had spoken with her boyfriend shortly before she died, complaining of persistent nose bleeding.

“She spoke to her boyfriend at the hour of her death, complaining that she was bleeding from the nose. And the boyfriend told her to report it,” Umahi said.

“She told the boyfriend, don’t cut the call. The boyfriend cut the call. And three minutes later, the boyfriend called again. She was not responding.”

Umahi explained that she told her boyfriend she was going to bathe and had locked her door. When the door was broken down the following morning, she was found dead with the tap still running.

“What baffles me in this country is that everything becomes an opportunity,” he said.

“There is a guest house where she and the second medical person stayed. And that is very far from where I stay.”

The minister said he wanted an autopsy conducted despite the family’s reported refusal on cultural grounds.

“We have been begging the family to allow an autopsy. They said it is against their culture, but we insist it is necessary to establish the cause of death,” he said.

The family of the late 26-year-old confirmed that her burial, earlier scheduled for Friday, has been postponed indefinitely following the refusal of the Ebonyi State Police Command to release the body without conducting an autopsy.

The police have maintained that an autopsy is necessary to determine the actual cause of death.

Umahi further disclosed that he had requested the Inspector-General of Police to transfer the investigation to Abuja to ensure transparency.