EXCLUSIVE(SAHARA REPORTERS): Mysterious Demise of Young Woman Reported at Works Minister Umahi's Ebonyi Home

An exclusive report from SaharaReporters reveals the mysterious death of a young woman, Mary Habbila, at the Uburu country residence of Nigeria's Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, located in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. The incident, which occurred on June 27, 2026, has been largely kept under wraps, with both the Ebonyi State Government and the state police command yet to issue official statements.

According to multiple police sources who spoke to SaharaReporters, Habbila and another woman, Anita Baski, both hailing from Kaduna State, were reportedly brought to the minister's home just a day before the tragic event, on June 26. Investigators are currently working to ascertain the precise circumstances leading to Habbila's demise, which was discovered the morning after her arrival.

The case has since prompted a police investigation, with its control now shifted from the Ohaozara Divisional Police Headquarters to the more specialized Ebonyi State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Abakaliki. Sources close to the investigation allege that the two women were at the residence to attend to the minister.

Further details indicate that Jonathan Bawado, a police officer serving as Senator Umahi's Personal Assistant and formerly his Aide-de-Camp during his governorship, was the first to alert medical personnel upon finding Habbila unresponsive. Subsequently, a doctor and an ambulance were promptly dispatched to the scene, and CSP Tobechukwu Godwin, the Divisional Police Officer of Ohaozara Police Division, was informed. Professor Chihurumnanya Alo, a Consultant Public Health Physician, Infectious Diseases Specialist, and Chief Medical Director of the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital (DUFUTH) in Uburu, was also reportedly notified.

Following these initial steps, the police took Habbila's body to a mortuary. As part of the ongoing inquiry, the identification tag linked to Habbila's remains was handed over by the DPO to the Ebonyi State Police Command. A senior police officer within Ebonyi State, who requested anonymity due to not being authorized to speak publicly, confirmed both the death and the transfer of the investigation to the SCID, though he refrained from offering further specifics.

At the time of this report, the official cause of Mary Habbila's death remains undisclosed. It is also unclear whether an autopsy has been conducted or if investigators have identified any criminal elements in the incident. SaharaReporters could not independently verify if Senator Umahi was present at his country home when the tragic event unfolded.

Attempts to gather comments from key individuals proved challenging. Jonathan Bawado, Senator Umahi's Personal Assistant, declined to speak, stating, "I am a police officer. I am not supposed to talk to the press." Calls to Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, Hope Urunwa Okafor, went unanswered. While the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, initially claimed unawareness, he requested a text message to enable him to make inquiries. Francis Nwaze, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to Minister Umahi, abruptly ended a call upon hearing the nature of the inquiry. Professor Chihurumnanya Alo also did not respond to calls.

The Federal Ministry of Works and the Ebonyi State Police Command have yet to release any public statement addressing Habbila's death or clarifying the circumstances surrounding it, leaving the sequence of events from her arrival to the discovery of her body under active police investigation.