A visually-impaired human rights activist and the Executive Director, Disability Rights Protection Initiative, Chikwado Chukwu, has called for a comprehensive investigation into the death of a physiotherapist, Mary Habila, in the Uburu residence of the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.

Habila, said to be Umahi’s personal physiotherapist, was said to have died in mysterious circumstances, which left many questions than answers.

A statement released on Saturday by Francis Nweze, the minister’s Senior Special Assistant, confirmed Habila’s death.

According to the statement, Habila and Miss Anita Baski, said to be employees of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State, have been on secondment in the Federal Ministry of Works as physiotherapists for the past three years.

The statement said Umahi called for an autopsy to ascertain the cause of Habila’s death, adding that the deceased’s family refused to allow the autopsy.

However, reacting to the development in a statement on Tuesday, the visually-impaired human rights activist, Chikwado Chukwu, called for a thorough probe.

He said, “Information available revealed that Habila and a colleague, Anita Baski, both from Kaduna State, arrived at Umahi’s residence in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, on June 26.

“Habila died inside the residence the next day, June 27. Chikwado wrote that her body was carried out naked and placed in the ambulance that came for her.

“Neither Umahi, the Ebonyi State Police Command, nor the state government spoke publicly about the death for almost two weeks. It took an investigative report by Sahara Reporters, published on July 10, before the case became public knowledge.

“When Umahi did respond through his aide Francis Nwaze, he said Habila and Baski were his personal physiotherapists, employees of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, who had been on secondment to the Federal Ministry of Works for three years.

“We call for a probe into the circumstances surrounding the death. The question is why a minister would need a physiotherapist at his village home, away from his office and any clinic for three years, and why it took a private media outfit, rather than the police or the state government to tell the public that a woman had died there.

“We are also drawing the attention to the role of Jonathan Bawado, a serving police officer who works as Umahi’s personal assistant and previously served as his aide-de-camp during his time as Ebonyi State governor.

“Police sources have told the media that Bawado brought the two women to the residence. A serving police officer, running personal errands like this for a minister, is exactly the kind of investigation that should be looked into, not swept under the carpet,” the statement added.

South-East PUNCH gathered that the case has been moved from the Ohaozara Police Division to the Ebonyi State Command.

The police have not issued a public statement on the cause of death or the status of their investigation.