ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Minister of Works David Umahi on Thursday said the late Mary Habila complained of a nosebleed during a telephone conversation with her boyfriend shortly before she was found dead.Â
He described the 26-year-old nurse as “like a daughter” while urging her family to allow an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
According to Umahi, Habila called her boyfriend on the night of June 27 from a guest house within his Uburu residence, informing him that she had experienced a nosebleed that later stopped.
He said the boyfriend advised her to notify her supervisor before ending the call, but became worried when repeated attempts to reach her minutes later were unsuccessful.
Recounting the events preceding her death Umahi said “The boyfriend said he did not want the bleeding to worsen by keeping her talking. She pleaded with him not to end the call, but he did. About three minutes later, he called back, but she was no longer answering”.Â
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Umahi dismissing allegations of foul play and insisting that only an autopsy can establish the actual cause of her death.
Habila, a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, died on June 27 at a guest house within the minister’s residence in Umunaga, Uburu, Ebonyi State, a development that has continued to attract public attention and calls for an independent investigation.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Umahi clarified that the deceased was a nurse employed by the university and not a physiotherapist as widely reported in some quarters.
“The lady in question was like a daughter to me. She stayed with me for about three years. She was a staff of the Federal University of Medical Sciences. She was a nurse and not a physiotherapist,” he said.
The minister explained that Habila shared the guest house with another female employee from Benue State, stressing that the facility was separate from his private residence.
He disclosed that colleagues forced open the door to her room the following morning after repeated attempts to reach her failed.
“When they broke the door, they found her dead. The tap was still running. I think she wanted to take her bath,” he added.
Umahi said he had immediately directed his legal team to request a forensic autopsy to determine the exact cause of death but noted that the deceased’s family objected to the procedure on cultural grounds.
“We instructed our lawyer that an autopsy must be carried out. We are appealing to the parents to allow it because they said it is against their culture,” he said.
The minister further revealed that he had notified the Inspector-General of Police and requested that the investigation be transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja to ensure transparency.
“I have directed that the corpse should not be released until the autopsy is conducted,” he added.
Umahi also disclosed that Habila had been receiving treatment for an undisclosed health condition at the Turkish Hospital in Abuja, with the medical expenses reportedly paid by his family.
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According to him, the latest payment for her treatment amounted to about N2.2 million in April, adding that the hospital possesses all relevant medical records.
The minister expressed concern over what he described as attempts to politicise the incident, arguing that there was no basis for linking him to Habila’s death simply because it occurred within a guest house on his premises.
“It is unfortunate that everything has become politics. Must the minister be held responsible because someone died in a guest house within the Ministry of Works premises?” he asked.
Umahi also warned that his legal team would pursue legal action against individuals circulating what he described as false and defamatory claims about the incident on social media.
“We are going to test the law on cyberbullying over this matter,” he said.
He maintained that there was no immediate evidence suggesting foul play, noting that Habila’s room was locked from the inside and had to be forced open before her body was discovered.