Political analyst and Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, Dr. Sam Amadi, has criticised Minister of Works, David Umahi, over his public handling of the controversy surrounding the death of 26-year-old nurse, Mary Habila, saying the police should have taken the lead in communicating developments on the case.

Speaking on Friday during an interview on Arise Television, Amadi described the situation as both “a public relations and ethical disaster,” arguing that public officials facing serious allegations should step aside to allow for transparent and credible investigations.

According to the former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Umahi, as the person closest to the deceased at the time of her death, should have first reported to the police and made a formal statement before addressing the media.

“You have to balance it. First, they ought to step aside when the allegations are weighty. But even if they don’t, the boss—the President—ought to demand that,” Amadi said.

Referring to the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death, he questioned the minister’s decision to publicly defend himself instead of allowing investigators to carry out their work.

“I’ve never seen a minister who doesn’t travel with nurses if they have personal medical needs, but a 26-year-old lady as a personal nurse who stays with you, travels with you, and stays in your house—and then passes away under these circumstances. That’s enough for you to go first to the police and make a statement. The police should depose you because you’re the prime suspect by virtue of proximity, whether you’re a good man or a bad man; that’s just what it is,” he said.

Amadi also faulted the minister’s decision to hold press conferences on the matter, warning that such actions could undermine public confidence in the investigative process.

He argued that the Nigeria Police Force should have been providing regular updates on the investigation instead of allowing interested parties to dominate public discourse.

“Instead, he has been on a show, running press conferences, talking about the case, precluding everything. And the affidavit the parents supposedly signed to say, ‘We don’t want anything, we don’t want a press check’—anybody looking at it will say this looks like a cover-up, that these people were pressured to do it,” he stated.

The political analyst further criticised the police for what he described as their silence over the case, saying regular official briefings would have reassured the public that a thorough investigation was underway.

“In these circumstances, what do you expect of the police first? The police have made no official statement. This is a case where the police public relations officer should be speaking, giving regular updates. That gives people confidence. Instead, they threaten warfare against everybody. That is recklessly irresponsible at the highest level,” he said.

Amadi also accused the Federal Government of failing to uphold public accountability and ethical standards in handling sensitive matters involving public officials.

“The fact that it appears to be tolerated is even more galling. This government has been proficient in disregarding public morality, proficient in cover-ups, and proficient in asserting diffidence against public ethics,” he added.

The controversy surrounding Mary Habila’s death has continued to generate public debate, with calls from various quarters for a transparent investigation into the circumstances leading to her death.