By Angela Atabo
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has dismissed allegations of foul play in the death of Mary Habila, a female member of his staff, saying he was not involved in the incident.
Umahi described the deceased as “like a daughter” to him, urging the public and political actors to refrain from politicising the matter.
The minister, who said this while speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, said he was deeply pained by Habila’s death.
Umahi called for calm, saying relevant authorities are carrying out investigations.
He clarified that the deceased was a nurse employed by the Federal Medical University, not a physiotherapist as been reported in some quarters.
He said she had been with his family for three years and maintained a close relationship with her and her family.
“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.
“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 the deceased had been receiving medical treatment at a Turkish hospital, with expenses reportedly covered by him.
He added that her latest hospital visit was on April 5, during which he said N2.2 million was expended on her treatment.
Umahi while revealing details leading to her death, said she 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.
“So, the boyfriend said, listen, I will not continue this conversation since you are bleeding. It will increase the bleeding. And 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 bath because she locked her door. So, in the morning, when they discovered, the door had to be broken and discovered her dead with the tap still running.
“What baffles me in this country is that everything becomes an opportunity. Now, there is a guest house where she and the second medical person stayed. And that is very far from where I stay.
“So, it means that for example if somebody dies in the Ministry of Works, the minister must be accountable to that. Is that what they are saying?
“Is it that they are saying that somebody cannot die? have they checked the medical records of the lady? Do they know that this lady was like a daughter to me?
“Everything goes into politics. But what I say to people is be careful. Life is spiritual.You want to use the unfortunate death of a young girl to play politics.”
Dismissing claims linking him to the death, Umahi said if he had hands in the killings, it would follow him and his family.
“But if we don’t have hands and you are jumping into it, behold. I am a man of full grace. You don’t tackle me anyhow and go out of it. So, be careful when you want to use the death of that young lady”.
He also defended the other female staff member, Habila’s colleague from Benue who was reportedly present, saying she had worked with him when he was the governor before joining the federal civil service.
The minister said he wanted an autopsy conducted, in spite of 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.
Umahi further disclosed that he had requested the Inspector-General of Police to transfer the investigation to Abuja to ensure transparency, requesting the police to engage with the family in the hope of securing consent for the autopsy.
The minister also criticised what he described as the circulation of misleading information and photographs from the mortuary, alleging that the images were leaked by police sources and shared with online media platforms.
He warned that his legal team would pursue action against individuals involved in what he described as cyberbullying and the spread of false information. (NAN)
