By Ihechi Enyinnaya
Embattled Minister of Works, David Umahi, has lashed out at individuals using the death of a young woman at his official residence to create online content, declaring that their fate would be “far worse” than that of the deceased if they deliberately spread falsehoods.
Speaking on the controversy, Umahi accused some content creators and critics of exploiting the woman’s death to tarnish his reputation by creating the impression that young women were being brought into his residence.
“If you intentionally did it, the death of the young lady would be far, far better than yours, because everybody is called at the time of God,” Umahi said.
The minister said lawyers had been briefed to initiate legal action against those he described as evil people hiding under the guise of fighting for the country’s freedom while spreading misinformation.
Umahi explained that the deceased was an employee of the Federal University Teaching Hospital who had been seconded to the Federal Ministry of Works. He added that another physiotherapist from Benue State, also seconded to the ministry, resided in the same staff quarters at the Asokoro guest house where ministry workers live.
Describing the woman’s death as unfortunate, Umahi condemned what he called the practice of using tragic incidents to generate online content.
“When you use the death of people to curate content and deceive people, it means your time is up,” he said.
The minister maintained that there was no attempt to conceal the incident, stating that an autopsy was immediately ordered while the deceased’s family reported the matter to the hospital and the police.
According to him, after the woman was found unresponsive in her room, the door was forced open and doctors were invited to revive her, but their efforts were unsuccessful. She was subsequently taken to a medical facility before the police were notified.
Umahi questioned allegations of secrecy surrounding the incident, insisting that both medical personnel and law enforcement agencies were involved from the outset.
He urged the public to disregard what he described as false narratives and await the outcome of the autopsy and official investigations.