She was like my daughter – Umahi breaks silence on Mary Habila’s death

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, on Thursday said the late Miss Mary Habila, a staff member who died at his residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State, was like a daughter to him.

Umahi said this at a press conference in Abuja, insisting that he suspected no foul play and describing attempts to link him to the incident as politics taken too far.

He said the deceased had worked closely with him for years and had a history of medical challenges for which he personally funded treatment.

According to him, the deceased aide complained of bleeding from her nose during a phone conversation with her boyfriend shortly before she was found dead, stressing that there was no evidence of foul play in the incident.

The former Ebonyi State governor disclosed that the deceased was a nurse employed by the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ebonyi State, contrary to reports describing her as a physiotherapist.

This came following widespread public interest and speculation surrounding the circumstances around the young woman’s death after reports emerged that she died in one of the ministry’s guest houses.

The minister further stated that the deceased had been living and working with him for about three years and enjoyed a close relationship with his family.

He also appealed to the deceased’s family to permit an autopsy to establish the exact cause of death, revealing that he had directed that the body not be released for burial until the procedure was conducted.

“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,” he said.