BREAKING: ‘Mary Was Like a Daughter to Me’ — Umahi Breaks Silence on Mary Habila’s Death

• Works Minister David Umahi has broken his silence on the death of nurse Mary Habila, describing her as “like a daughter,” revealing details of her final moments.

Minister of Works David Umahi has publicly addressed the death of Mary Habila, the 26-year-old nurse who died at a government guest house in Uburu, Ebonyi State, insisting he “suspects no foul play” and condemning attempts to link him to the incident as “politics taken too far.”

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Umahi described the deceased as “like a daughter”, saying she had lived and worked with him for about three years and was one of his most trusted staff members.

“Mary was like a daughter to me”

Umahi dismissed reports describing Habila as a physiotherapist, clarifying that she was a nurse employed by the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ebonyi State.

“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.”

The minister said her death had left him devastated.

“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.”

Umahi says he paid for her medical treatment

Umahi disclosed that Habila had a history of medical challenges and had been receiving treatment at Turkish Hospital, with the expenses covered by him.

According to him, her most recent treatment was on April 5, costing ₦2.2 million.

“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 ₦2.2 million. The records are there. I paid ₦2.2 million.”

Reveals her final conversation with boyfriend

The minister also revealed details of what he described as Habila’s final phone conversation with her boyfriend shortly before she died.

According to Umahi, she complained that her nose was bleeding.

“She spoke to her boyfriend at the hour of her death and complained that she was bleeding from the nose.”

He said the boyfriend advised her to report the situation, but she replied that the bleeding 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.”

Umahi added that before communication ended, Habila told her boyfriend she intended to take a bath.

“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.”

“I suspect no foul play”

The minister maintained that available facts do not suggest criminal activity.

“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 also claimed Habila had experienced similar nosebleeds during previous official trips.

According to him, her boyfriend confirmed she had suffered the same condition while they were in Lagos and had advised her to seek medical attention.

Umahi said he had asked investigators to retrieve the phone records between Habila 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.”

Appeals for autopsy

Umahi appealed to Habila’s family to allow an autopsy, saying it remains the only way to establish the exact cause of death.

He disclosed that he had instructed that the body should not be released until a post-mortem examination is conducted.

“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.”

The minister also revealed that he had asked the Inspector-General of Police to transfer the investigation to Abuja.

“We have reported to the Inspector-General of Police to transfer the case to Abuja. Let them beg the family to do an autopsy.”

“Politics taken too far”

Umahi criticised what he described as attempts to politicise the tragedy simply because the incident occurred at a guest house linked to the Ministry of Works.

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

He added:

“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 also defended himself against suggestions that he should be held responsible because the incident happened in a government facility.

“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?”

Vows legal action

Umahi also criticised the circulation of photographs allegedly taken at the mortuary, accusing some police officers of leaking misleading images.

“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.”

He vowed to pursue legal action against media organisations and individuals he accused of spreading false information and cyberbullying the deceased.

“I have directed my lawyers to get across to those involved in cyberbullying this matter. We are going to test the law on that.”

Police investigations into Habila’s death are still ongoing, while an autopsy has yet to be conducted following objections from her family on cultural grounds.