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Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has revealed that Mary Habila, the nurse who died in a guest house within his Uburu residence in Ebonyi State, spoke with her boyfriend on the night before her death and complained of a nosebleed.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the June 27 incident, Umahi described the deceased as "like a daughter" and insisted that an autopsy was necessary to establish the actual cause of her death.
Habila, a nurse at the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, was found dead in a guest house located within the minister's compound in Umunaga, Uburu.
Umahi clarified that contrary to reports circulating in some sections of the media, the deceased was a nurse and not a physiotherapist.
He said Habila had lived and worked with his family for about three years and was a staff member of the Federal University of Medical Sciences.
According to the minister, the guest house where she died was separate from his personal residence and was occupied only by Habila and another female employee from Benue State.
Recounting the events preceding her death, Umahi said Habila informed her boyfriend during a telephone conversation that she had started bleeding from the nose.
He said the boyfriend advised her to notify her supervisor, after which she reportedly told him the bleeding had stopped.
Umahi disclosed that the boyfriend later attempted to end the call so she could rest, but Habila pleaded with him to remain on the line. He eventually ended the call and, when he called back about three minutes later, she no longer answered her phone.
The minister said concern grew the following morning after repeated calls to Habila went unanswered.
According to him, colleagues forced open the door to her room and found her lifeless, with the tap in the bathroom still running, suggesting she may have been preparing to take a bath.
Umahi said he immediately directed his lawyers to ensure that an autopsy was conducted before the body was released for burial.
He appealed to Habila's family to consent to the procedure, noting that they had reportedly objected on cultural grounds.
The minister also disclosed that he informed the Inspector-General of Police about the incident and requested that the investigation be transferred to Abuja to ensure transparency.
He further revealed that Habila had been receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical condition at the Turkish Hospital in Abuja, with medical expenses paid by his family.
According to him, the last hospital bill of about ₦2.2 million was settled on April 5, adding that the hospital possesses records of her treatment.
Umahi expressed concern over what he described as attempts to politicise the incident, arguing that public office holders should not automatically be blamed whenever deaths occur within government premises.
He also announced plans to institute legal action against individuals allegedly spreading false information about the case on social media, saying the matter would test Nigeria's cyberbullying laws.
The minister maintained that there was no immediate indication of foul play, stressing that Habila's room was locked from the inside and had to be forced open before her body was discovered, while urging that the autopsy be allowed to establish the true cause of death.
