RismadarVoice Reporters
July 29, 2026
The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) has accused the Minister of Works, David Umahi, of threatening its National President, Engr. Tabara Samuel Kato, over a ₦20 billion lawsuit filed against him in connection with the death of 26-year-old nurse, Mary Habila.
Addressing journalists at an emergency press conference, Kato alleged that Umahi contacted him through a WhatsApp call shortly after learning about the court action and a television interview he granted on the matter.
According to Kato, the minister identified himself before allegedly warning him to withdraw the suit, claiming he would “teach him a lesson” and file multiple lawsuits against him.
SOKAPU described the alleged remarks as an attempt to intimidate its leadership and frustrate its pursuit of legal redress, insisting that filing the suit was a constitutional right that it would not abandon.
The group renewed its demand for an independent forensic autopsy to establish the cause of Mary Habila’s death and called on President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, Governor Uba Sani, the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to take note of the alleged threats.
The development follows a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by SOKAPU before the Kaduna State High Court, seeking an independent forensic autopsy, a fresh police investigation and ₦20 billion in damages over Habila’s death at Umahi’s country home in Uburu, Ebonyi State, on or about June 27.
The union argued that the circumstances surrounding the nurse’s death remain unclear, alleging that her body was moved to a mortuary without a formal police report. It is asking the court to order an independent autopsy by pathologists from Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and the National Hospital, Abuja, as well as direct the Nigeria Police Force to conduct a comprehensive investigation before the body is released for burial.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force has transferred the investigation from the Ebonyi State Police Command to Abuja, while Habila’s body has been moved to the National Hospital for a forensic autopsy.
Minister Umahi has acknowledged that the deceased died at his residence and has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He has also publicly expressed support for a forensic autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
