Viewpoint: What Really Happened To Mary Habila?

 By Etim Etim

Two young women from Kaduna state – Mary Habila and Mary Baski – left home and visited the country home of David Umahi, minister of works, in Uburu, Ebonyi state, where they spent the night or many nights. In the morning of June 26, 2026, Mary Habila was found dead in her room in the minister’s palatial residence. The other lady, Mary Baski, has since disappeared into thin air. She has not uttered a word about the death of her colleague and friend, and nobody knows where she is. The mystery surrounding the death of Miss Habila in Umahi’s residence has become one of the biggest scandals this year. It is even bigger than the Prince Adeyemi story, but unfortunately, the Nigerian media, the NBA, civil society, National Council of Women Societies, Kaduna state government, the presidency and even the Nigerian Police have been uncharacteristically muted about this mystery. Who killed Miss Habila and why? What was she doing at the minister’s residence?

First, I salute Sahara Reporters for breaking the story last week – two weeks after her death. This online publication has, over the years, shone searchlights on the putrid smell of decadence in Nigerian society. It deserves our collective commendation. But it is now up to Umahi to come clean and level with Nigerians on what really happened to a fellow Nigerian at his home. So far, the minister has said little. He’s resorted to issuing threats to sue anybody who spreads rumours about him and the circumstances surrounding the death of Ms Habila. The threat is meant to frighten journalists from reporting the story. Umahi must be, understandably, very embarrassed, and he would do everything to kill the story.

For some time now, the minister has been going about as the poster boy of the Tinubu administration, showing off the administration’s performance in road and infrastructural development. A week before this story broke, the minister had challenged Peter Obi to a national debate on the achievements of President Tinubu. It was his response to Obi’s criticisms of the government. I bet that Umahi is no longer thinking of a debate. His reputation has been sullied, and his name has been dragged all over social media. Whether he survives this scandal or not, history will remember Umahi by this incident just as IBB is remembered for the annulment of the June 12 elections.

Since this is the most compelling human-angle story this season, I urge Sahara Reporters, Premium Times and other courageous journalists to dig further into it and uncover the truth. This is one of the reasons why I miss Newswatch, TELL and THISWEEK magazines. These magazines would have sent reporters to Ebonyi to do justice to this story. The disappearance of weekly news magazines from the newsstands is a major disaster for Nigerian journalism. Miss Habila should not just die and be buried away like a dog. She was a daughter, a human being and a beautiful creature of our Creator. She deserves some honour and respect.

Last Sunday, while inspecting work in the Ebonyi section of the Calabar – Ebonyi – Benue – Nasarawa – Abuja highway, the minister offered a glimpse into how his mind is working. He said there is no secrecy about Habila’s death; rather, it was her relatives who forced open her room door and rushed her to the hospital. The minister said the incident was promptly reported to the police, adding that he had even asked for an autopsy. “The family broke the girl’s door, called doctors from DUFUTH (David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital), who took her to hospital and did everything to revive her, but failed,” NAN quoted the minister as saying. He added: “The family reported the matter to the police, so where is the secrecy?” Umahi said Habila was an employee of DUFUTH. But in the initial press statement issued by his office in Abuja, it was stated that Habila was a nurse and physiotherapist seconded to the federal ministry of works. But the minister has not volunteered a word on what the young, voluptuous woman and her friend were doing in his residence. Meanwhile, a funeral announcement circulating on social media says she will be buried on Friday, July 17. Service would be conducted by Deeper Life Bible Church, Nok, Jaba LGA of Kaduna state. The officiating pastor should speak out on behalf of Mary Habila.

This story has raised many questions and confounded Nigerians, especially since this is not the first time Umahi has been involved in a scandal with a woman. Early this year, a businesswoman, Tracy Ohiri, publicly accused him of owing her over N200 million for promotional items she supplied during his campaign for a second-term reelection as governor of Ebonyi. She also alleged that he withheld payment because she rejected his sexual advances. Following her subsequent arrest by the police, Ohiri retracted her statement and issued a public apology to the minister, admitting that she did not sign an agreement with him and that her earlier claims were inaccurate. But the damage had been done, and people had already formed their opinion.

The Habila incident is different. The minister has admitted that the young lady died at his residence. Nigerians are now waiting for the police to conduct a thorough investigation and give regular updates as the investigation progresses. Even if her family is pressured or induced to reject an autopsy and police inquiries, the family should be ignored. The state has a duty to protect the welfare of its citizens and look into all cases of homicide or suspicious deaths. As Dr Martin Luther said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’’.

I watch with admiration as Scotland Yard regularly gives updates on the ongoing investigations into the death of a prominent politician in the UK, Ann Widecombe. Nigerians expect answers to the following questions whenever the police speak:

1. What was Miss Mary Habila doing in the minister’s house?

2. Who was with her before she died?

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3. Where was the minister himself?

4. How did she die?

5. When did she die, and when was her death reported to the police?

6. Why did it take two weeks to announce her death?

7. Was there a plan to cover up this unfortunate disaster?

Umahi is the third minister in the Tinubu administration to face a serious reputational crisis that borders on ethics, integrity and character.

In January 2024, Beta Edu was suspended from office as minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation and subsequently dismissed from office following a major financial and corruption scandal. She had been in office for only six months in office. In October 2025, Uche Nnaji resigned from office as minister of innovation, science & technology amid allegations of certificate forgery. A few weeks ago, he was arrested in Abuja and was arraigned in the federal high court.

Will Umahi survive this?