Mary Habila wanted to have her bath before she died — Umahi

Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has disclosed that 26-year-old nurse, Mary Habila, may have been preparing to take a bath before she died at a guest house within his residence in Uburu, Ebonyi.

Speaking with journalists for the first time since the incident on Thursday, Umahi also revealed that Habila had spoken with her boyfriend on the night before her death and complained of bleeding from her nose.

The minister, who described the deceased as “like a daughter,” insisted that an autopsy should be conducted to determine the actual cause of her death.

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Habila, a nurse at the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, died on June 27, 2026, in a guest house located within the minister’s residence in Umunaga, Uburu.

Umahi also clarified that Habila was a nurse and not a physiotherapist, contrary to reports in some sections of the media.

“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,” he said.

According to the minister, Habila shared the guest house with only one other female staff member from Benue, stressing that the facility is separate from his personal residence.

Recounting the events preceding her death, Umahi said Habila informed her boyfriend during a phone conversation that she was experiencing a nosebleed.

He said the boyfriend advised her to notify her supervisor, after which she reportedly told him the bleeding had stopped.

“He then said he would end the call so she could rest. She pleaded with him not to end the conversation, but he did. About three minutes later, he called back and she was no longer answering her phone,” Umahi said.

The minister said Habila’s colleagues became worried the following morning after repeated attempts to contact her proved unsuccessful.

According to him, they forced open the door to her room and found her dead.

“When they broke the door, they found her dead. The tap was still running. I think she wanted to have her bath,” Umahi said.

Umahi reiterated his call for a thorough autopsy to establish the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death.