By Dan Akpowa
Mary Habila is dead.
She was reportedly found dead in the residence of Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi. Police investigators, according to media reports, have refused requests by the Minister’s lawyers to release her body for burial, insisting that the matter remains under active investigation and that an autopsy and other forensic procedures are indispensable. Reports have also suggested that investigators are questioning aspects of the public explanation already offered by the Minister.
If these reports are accurate, one question towers above every other: why has the Nigerian Government chosen silence?
Where is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and what is he saying about this, because as president he swore under oath to protect every citizen?
Where is the All Progressives Congress, because as a political party and the incumbent for that matter it ought to act as a moral compass on the public good to the nation?
Where is the official outrage that should accompany the unexplained death of a citizen in the residence of one of the most powerful men in government?
In every democracy that takes human life seriously, such an incident would trigger immediate assurances of transparency, institutional independence, and accountability. Here, the silence is deafening. It sends a dangerous message that the political class may be insulated from the standards expected of ordinary Nigerians.
David Umahi should immediately step aside as Minister of Works, not because he has been found guilty of any offence, but because the integrity of the investigation must be beyond question. No minister whose residence is the scene of an unexplained high crime like death should continue to occupy high office while investigators are still trying to establish the facts. Public confidence demands nothing less.
The contrast in law enforcement priorities is impossible to ignore. The state can mobilise extraordinary speed and determination when pursuing allegations of ordinary misdemeanor against citizen Sowore, or political offences against opposition. Yet where a Nigerian has lost her life under circumstances still being investigated, the same urgency appears absent from those entrusted with protecting the public interest.
This is not merely about one minister. It is about the moral compass of a government. What message does it send when allegations involving paperwork provoke swift official action, but the unexplained death of a citizen in the residence of a serving cabinet minister is met with official silence?
The issue before Nigerians is larger than personalities. It is whether public office has become a sanctuary from scrutiny. It is whether political power now determines the intensity of criminal investigations. It is whether the poor and powerless are entitled to the same justice as the influential and connected.
Mary Habila’s life mattered.
Her family deserves the truth. Nigerians deserve the truth. The investigation must proceed without fear, favour, intimidation, or political interference. Every forensic procedure must be completed, every witness heard, and every relevant fact made public.
History teaches that nations do not collapse only because of corruption. They also decay when human life ceases to command the highest value in public affairs.
President Tinubu now faces a defining test. He can demonstrate that under his administration no public official is beyond scrutiny, or he can reinforce the growing perception that power is a shield against accountability.
Nigeria cannot claim to be governed by the rule of law if justice hesitates whenever it approaches the gates of power.
Mary Habila deserves the truth. The Republic owes her nothing less.
Alex Ter Adum, PhD
DDG THE NARRATIVE FORCE
alexadum45@gmail.com
