Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, on Thursday said that Miss Mary Habila, the nurse who died at a guest house within his residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State, spoke with her boyfriend on the night before her death and complained of a nosebleed.

Umahi, who addressed journalists for the first time since the incident, described the late Habila as “like a daughter” to him and called for an autopsy to determine the actual cause of her death.

Habila, a nurse with 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.

The minister clarified that the deceased was a nurse and not a physiotherapist, as had been reported in some media outlets.

” 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,” Umahi said.

Narrating the events leading to her death, Umahi said Habila spoke with her boyfriend on the night before she was found dead and informed him that she was experiencing a nosebleed.

She told the boyfriend she was bleeding from the nose. The boyfriend advised her to report it to her boss. She later 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,” the minister said.

He further disclosed that Habila had been receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical condition at Turkish Hospital in Abuja, with the medical expenses paid by his family.

Image: Nurse Mary Habila; David Umahi, Minister of Works

The police command in Ebonyi said that the family of Mary Habila, the nurse who died at the residence of David Umahi, Minister of Works, do not want an autopsy conducted.

In a statement on Thursday, Joshua Ukandu, Ebonyi police spokesperson, said that the command is set to engage the services of a pathologist to conduct the post-mortem examination on the deceased’s body.

Ukandu said the command believes that due to the sensitivity of the matter, the procedure is imperative to establish the true cause of Habila’s death.

The Ebonyi police spokesperson said that the divisional police officer (DPO) of Ohaozara division received a distress call on June 27, 2026, and requested his presence at the David Umahi Federal Teaching Hospital, Uburu for a medical emergency.

Ukandu said when the DPO arrived at the hospital, he was informed by authorities that the deceased was brought in dead on the day.

“Preliminary findings indicate that the deceased and a colleague were part of the medical team attached to the Honourable Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, and had accompanied him to his hometown in Uburu, where she died in a room within the compound of his residence.

“The Command has since commenced a comprehensive investigation. Detectives have visited the scene and obtained statements from relevant persons,” said the statement.

By Our Correspondent

OBAJANA, Kogi State — Dangote Cement Plc has built, commissioned and donated a modern Cottage Hospital to the Obajana community in Kogi State as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives aimed at improving access to quality healthcare.

The hospital, officially inaugurated at the weekend, is expected to provide primary and secondary healthcare services to residents of Obajana and neighbouring communities, reducing the need for patients to travel long distances for medical treatment.

Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, the Acting Plant Director of Dangote Cement Plc, Obajana Plant, Engr. Panjala Sreedhar, said the project was conceived following extensive consultations and community needs assessments, which identified healthcare as a critical priority.

According to him, the facility is equipped with male, female and children’s wards, private wards, consulting rooms, a meeting room, 19 sanitary facilities, digital blood pressure monitoring devices, a dedicated borehole water supply and other essential medical infrastructure.

He said the hospital would significantly improve healthcare delivery in the host community while complementing government efforts to expand access to quality medical services.

The Bajana of Obajana, Engr. Idowi Isenibi, described the completion of the hospital as “a dream come true” for the community.

He assured that the people of Obajana would safeguard the facility and its equipment to ensure it serves its intended purpose.”Dangote is a blessing to this community,” the traditional ruler said.

Representing Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo at the event, the Special Assistant on Corporate Social Responsibility, Hon. Paul Sunday, commended Dangote Cement for its sustained investment in community development.

Governor Ododo also appealed to the company to provide medical personnel to operate the hospital pending the deployment of healthcare workers by the local government.