Kogi-born political activist and public commentator, Comrade Usman Okai Austin, has formally appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Rilwan Disu, demanding an immediate and transparent investigation into the death of 26-year-old physiotherapist, Mary Habila.
In his statement, Okai argued that the tragic incident is not an isolated event but fits into what he described as a troubling history of high-handedness and controversial encounters involving the former Ebonyi Governor and women.
Okai recalled the bitter political feud in 2022 between Umahi and a female senatorial aspirant, Princess Ann Agom-Eze, over the Ebonyi South APC senatorial ticket. The dispute saw Agom-Eze subjected to intense harassment, public vilification, and eventual expulsion from the party—an episode that drew widespread condemnation from gender rights advocates who accused Umahi of using state machinery to intimidate a female rival.
His words: “This is not the first time the Minister’s name is being dragged into controversies involving the suppression or mistreatment of women.
“Among them is Engr. Stella Ifeoma Okengwu, a Nigerian-American investor and Chief Executive Officer of WINHOMES Estate Global Services Ltd. Okengwu has repeatedly alleged that the Federal Ministry of Works unlawfully diverted the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road into her estate development, resulting in the destruction of part of her investment.
“She has stated that the project affected investments by Nigerians in the diaspora and foreign investors worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The Ministry has not accepted these allegations, and the matter has been the subject of legal proceedings and public advocacy.
“Critics have also referred to allegations previously made by Tracynither, who publicly claimed she experienced inappropriate treatment involving the Minister. Those allegations have attracted public attention but have not been established in court, and the Minister has denied wrongdoing where applicable.
