The Minister of Works and former governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, who has been embroiled in several controversies involving women in recent times, has made frantic efforts to exonerate himself from questionable death of a female nurse naked lifeless body was found in the Minister’s official residence in Abuja recently.
The death of the deceased, who was said to be a staff of the Federal Medical University in Ebonyi State was said to have visited the minister in his Abuja residence alongside another female companion was found dead in the ministers apartment in questionable circumstances has elicited several comments, reaction and insinuations on various media platforms.
Meanwhile, Minister Umahi, who is at the center of the entire scenario, in what many describe as a desperate effort to exonerate himself has stated that, “My lawyers have spoken on my behalf. But I want to correct one piece of information. The lady in question was like a daughter to me. She stayed with me for three years. She was a nurse and a staff member of the Federal Medical University, not a physiotherapist.
Our families are like one family. She had been receiving treatment at a Turkish hospital, and I paid her medical bills, including ₦2.2 million on April 5. She spoke with her boyfriend before her death and told him she was bleeding from the nose. He advised her to report it, but she said the bleeding had stopped.
He ended the call and called back three minutes later, but she was no longer responding. Earlier, she had told him she was going to take a bath. When people became concerned, they broke down the door and found her dead, with the tap still running.
The guest house where she died is far from where I live, so it is unfair to hold me responsible simply because it belongs to the Ministry of Works. People should stop using the unfortunate death of a young girl to play politics. If we had a hand in her death, it would follow us and our families, but if we did not, those making false accusations should be careful. Her death is very painful to me because she was one of my best workers.”
“We have been begging the family to allow an autopsy, but they said it is against their culture. Through our lawyers, we insisted that an autopsy must be carried out, and I have directed that the body should not be released until it is done. I have also asked the Inspector-General of Police to transfer the investigation to Abuja and engage with the family to secure their consent.
The deceased had previously experienced nosebleeds. Her boyfriend told us that while we were in Lagos, she called him to report another episode, and he advised her to inform me or seek treatment at a nearby hospital, but she did not want to disturb me. I have asked the police to retrieve the call logs between her and her boyfriend so they can listen to their final conversation.
At this stage, I suspect no foul play because another lady was in the room, the door was locked from the inside and had to be broken open, and the tap was still running, suggesting she was about to take a bath. The photographs circulating online were taken at the mortuary by the police before her body was prepared, and they have been used to spread damaging misinformation. I have instructed my lawyers to take legal action against those responsible for cyberbullying and spreading false information, and we intend to test the law on the matter.”
However, there seem to be conflicting reports about the incident. Earlier reports about the incident said the deceased was a physiotherapist and not a nurse. That narrative has changed, as she is now referred to as a nurse.
On the other hand, a cross section of Nigerians who have expressed concern about the incident are wondering what a staff of an establishment in Ebonyi State was doing in the minister’s Abuja residence that is not an office or medical facility. For instance, the Minister once said that she was on secondment to his house.
