Police Probe Nurse Death at Minister Umahi Home

The death of a 26-year-old nurse at a property linked to the Minister of Works has sparked a police investigation and public calls for transparency, with authorities insisting on an autopsy over the objections of the deceased's family. Mary Habila, a nurse with the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences in Ebonyi State who was seconded to the Federal Ministry of Works, died on June 27, 2026.

According to police and a sworn affidavit from her colleague, Habila was part of a ministry team that traveled from Abuja to Ebonyi State on June 24 for official duties. The staff were accommodated in a chalet for ministry personnel within the country home of Minister David Umahi in Uburu. On the evening of June 26, Habila visited her colleague and friend, Anita Baaki, after having her hair styled before stating she was tired and intended to take a shower. That was the last time Baaki saw her alive.

The following morning, after Habila failed to emerge from her locked room, staff forced entry and found her unconscious. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital. A legal advice document from the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice, dated...