The Minister of Works, David Umahi, on Thursday, described late Miss Mary Habila, a staff member who died at the minister’s residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State, as “like a daughter” to him.
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Habila, a nurse with the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, died on June 27, 2026, in a guest house located within the minister’s residence in Umunaga, Uburu.
Umahi, who addressed journalists for the first time since the incident, called for an autopsy to determine the actual cause of her death.
“The lady in question was like a daughter to me. She had stayed with me for three years. She was a staff of the Federal Medical University. She was a nurse and not a physiotherapist,” Umahi said.
Also, Umahi said the Mary Habila had worked closely with him for years, and had a history of medical challenges for which he personally funded treatment.
He stressed that he suspected no foul play, expressing disappointment over attempts to link him to the incident.
“What baffles me is that everything becomes politics in this country. Must the minister be held responsible because somebody died in a guest house under the Ministry of Works? Is that how it works?” he asked.
He also said he had instructed his lawyers to pursue legal action against individuals spreading what he described as false information about the incident online.
“We are going to test the law on cyberbullying over this matter,” he said.
