Minister of Works David Umahi has said Mary Habila, the nurse who d!ed at his residence in Ebonyi State, told her boyfriend during a phone call that she was experiencing a nosebleed shortly before her de@th.
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Umahi disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing in Abuja that had been called to update journalists on road projects recently approved by President Bola Tinubu.
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The minister used the occasion to correct what he described as inaccurate reports about his relationship with the deceased, describing her as “like a daughter.” He said she had worked with him for three years as a nurse, not a physiotherapist, and was a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital.
“There is one piece of information I want to correct. It is that the lady in question was like a daughter to me,” Umahi said. “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. She has her medical records in Turkish Hospital, being paid by us.”
Umahi added that he had previously funded Habila’s medical treatment at a hospital in Turkey.
Giving his account of the events leading up to her death, the minister said Habila had complained to her boyfriend about nasal bleeding during a phone conversation. According to Umahi, the boyfriend urged her to report the bleeding, but she said it had stopped and asked him not to end the call. He eventually did so, citing concern that continuing to talk could worsen her condition.
“She spoke to her boyfriend at the hour of her death and complained that she was bleeding from the nose,” Umahi said. “The boyfriend said, ‘No, you have to report it.’ She said it had stopped. The boyfriend said, ‘Listen, I will not continue this conversation since you are bleeding. It will increase the bleeding.’
“She told the boyfriend, ‘Don’t cut the call.’ The boyfriend cut the call. Three minutes later, the boyfriend called again. She was not responding. When they broke the door in the morning, the tap was still running.”
Umahi said he had directed police to obtain call records between Habila and her boyfriend as part of ongoing investigations into her death. He further alleged that some police officers had leaked mortuary photographs of the deceased, claiming the images were being circulated to push misleading narratives about the case.
Habila, who worked at the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, died on June 27 while attached to the minister’s medical team. Her death has drawn significant public attention, with civil society groups and members of the public calling for a full investigation into the circumstances.
Earlier on Thursday, the Ebonyi State Police Command said it would proceed with an autopsy despite objections from some of the deceased’s family members. Umahi confirmed he had written to the state’s Commissioner of Police requesting the autopsy to help determine the cause of death.
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