Nigerian minister denies killing nurse attached to him

Nigeria's Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has vehemently denied accusations that he was involved in the death of a nurse, Mary Habila, who was attached to him. Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Umahi dismissed insinuations that he killed the 26-year-old woman at his Uburu residence in Ebonyi State.

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There is a guest house where she and the second medical person stayed, and that is very far from where I stayed.

Habila was reportedly brought to the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, Uburu, on June 27, deceased. Following her death, some Nigerians and civil society organizations called for an investigation, with a few suggesting foul play. Umahi argued that such claims were false, emphasizing that he did not share an apartment with Habila and her colleague, stating they resided in a separate guest house.

"There is a guest house where she and the second medical person stayed, and that is very far from where I stayed," Umahi explained. He added that Habila was like a daughter to him, having worked with him for three years, and described her death as a personal loss.

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The lady in question was like a daughter to me. She had stayed with me for three years. Is it that they are saying that somebody cannot die? Have they checked the medical records of the lady

Umahi further questioned the basis of the unnatural death claims, suggesting that those spreading false narratives were unaware of her medical history. He recounted that Habila's boyfriend had reported that she complained of feeling unwell and bleeding from the nose hours before her death. He noted that after she stopped responding to her boyfriend's calls, her door was broken down, and she was found unresponsive.

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She (Habila) spoke to her boyfriend at the hour of her death, complaining that she was bleeding from the nose, and the boyfriend said, ‘No, you have to report to your boss. She said it has stopped.’