The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, said Miss Mary Habila, the nurse who died at a guest house within his residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State, spoke with her boyfriend on the night before her death, complaining of a nosebleed.
Umahi, who addressed journalists on Thursday, described the late Habila as “like a daughter” to him and called for an autopsy to determine the actual cause of her death.
The minister clarified that the deceased was a nurse and not a physiotherapist, as had been reported in some media outlets.
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.
“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.
According to him, Habila and another female staff member from Benue State were the only occupants of the guest house, which he said is separate from his personal residence.
Narrating the events leading to her death, Umahi said Habila spoke with her boyfriend on the night before she was found dead and informed him that she was experiencing a nosebleed.
“She told the boyfriend she was bleeding from the nose. The boyfriend advised her to report it to her boss. She later told him the bleeding had stopped.
“He then said he would end the call so she could rest. She pleaded with him not to end the conversation, but he did. About three minutes later, he called back and she was no longer answering her phone,” the minister said.
Umahi said Habila’s colleagues became concerned the following morning after repeated attempts to reach her failed.
According to him, they forced open the door to her room and found her lifeless.
“When they broke the door, they found her dead. The tap was still running. I think she wanted to have her bath,” he said.
‘I asked my lawyers to request autopsy’
The minister disclosed that he had instructed his lawyers to request an autopsy to determine the cause of death, and had asked that the body should not be released for burial until the procedure was carried out.
“We told our lawyer that an autopsy should be done. We are appealing to the parents to allow it. They said it is against their culture,” he said.
Umahi also revealed that he had reported the matter to the Inspector-General of Police and requested that the investigation be transferred to Abuja.
He further disclosed that Habila had been receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical condition at Turkish Hospital in Abuja, with the medical expenses paid by his family.
According to him, the last hospital bill, amounting to about N2.2 million, was settled on April 5, adding that the relevant medical records were available at the hospital.
The minister expressed concern over what he described as attempts to politicise 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.
Umahi maintained that he had no reason to suspect foul play, noting that the door to Habila’s room was locked from the inside and had to be forced open before she was discovered.
