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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has intensified pressure on the Federal Government over the death of Mary Habila, a physiotherapist who was found dead in the Ebonyi residence of David Umahi, Minister of Works.

The party demanded an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding her reported death at the residence of the Minister.

The opposition party also urged Umahi to step aside to allow an independent panel probe the case.

It argued that such a move is necessary to guarantee public confidence in the outcome of the probe.

ADC made the demands in a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.

The party maintained that the death of a citizen inside the residence of a serving cabinet minister is a matter of public interest that requires full transparency and accountability.

It said questions surrounding Habila’s presence at the minister’s residence and the events leading to her death remain unanswered.

According to the party, only an inquiry conducted outside the influence of the Executive can establish the facts and restore public confidence.

“We therefore call for an independent investigation that is completely removed from the control or influence of the Executive.

“This inquiry must include a full autopsy to determine the exact cause of Ms Habila’s death and a public report of its findings,” the statement said.

The ADC argued that anything short of an independent probe would only fuel public suspicion and weaken trust in state institutions.

It further alleged that the Tinubu administration has repeatedly failed to subject senior government officials facing serious allegations to independent scrutiny.

The party accused the administration of shielding political appointees whenever controversies emerge.

It said the pattern had created “scandal insurance” for top government officials.

“The Tinubu administration appears more eager to defend reputations than to establish facts and submit to accountability,” Abdullahi said.

The opposition party described the incident as one that goes beyond politics, insisting that the death of a young woman in the residence of a serving minister demands exceptional openness.

It therefore insisted that Umahi should vacate office temporarily until an independent investigation is concluded.

“The least that should be expected is that the Minister, namely Senator David Umahi, should immediately step aside from office pending the conclusion of an independent investigation,” the statement added.

The ADC warned that failure by President Bola Tinubu to insist on accountability would reinforce public perception that his administration protects senior officials from scrutiny.

It said Nigerians deserve the truth about the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death, while her family deserves justice.

The party also extended condolences to Habila’s family, urging the authorities to ensure that the investigation is transparent and its findings made public.

Mary Habila’s death sparked nationwide attention after reports emerged that the young physiotherapist died under unclear circumstances at the Ebonyi residence of the Minister

The Ebonyi State Police Command subsequently transferred the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), while the cause of death remains unknown.

Umahi has denied any wrongdoing, insisting there was no attempt to conceal the incident.

He said Habila was among medical personnel attached to the Federal Ministry of Works and disclosed that he advised her family to approve an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

The incident has since attracted calls for an independent investigation from opposition parties and civil society groups.

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The Federal Government says it has evacuated 1,490 Nigerian nationals from South Africa through a series of humanitarian flights following ongoing xenophobic attacks and related security concerns.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday by its Spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, following the completion of the fifth phase of the voluntary evacuation programme.

Ebienfa said the fifth evacuation flight, operated by Air Peace, departed O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, at 6:30 a.m. South African time on Wednesday and arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at 11:30 a.m.

He said the aircraft conveyed 308 passengers, comprising 305 returnees and three Nigerian government officials who coordinated and supervised the evacuation.

“The Federal Government has now evacuated a total of 1,490 Nigerians from South Africa through a series of coordinated humanitarian flights undertaken in partnership with Air Peace Limited and South African Airways,” he said.

Ebienfa said the evacuation followed sustained diplomatic engagement with the South African government in response to security concerns arising from xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals, including Nigerians.

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting the welfare of Nigerians abroad in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

According to him, the evacuation programme began on June 10, when Air Peace evacuated 258 Nigerians, followed by South African Airways, which airlifted 66 returnees on June 24.

He said Air Peace subsequently evacuated 272 Nigerians on June 30, 268 on July 2, 282 on July 9 and 305 on July 15, while South African Airways returned another 39 Nigerians on July 11.

Ebienfa said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinated the evacuation in collaboration with the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NEMA, Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Port Health Services and other relevant agencies.

He commended Air Peace for its support throughout the evacuation exercise, outlining the airline’s role as patriotic and instrumental to its success.

According to him, the operation reflects Nigeria’s commitment to its citizens’ diplomacy policy, which prioritises the protection, welfare and dignity of Nigerians abroad.

Ebienfa said the government would continue to engage South Africa through diplomatic channels to promote the safety and peaceful coexistence of all residents while maintaining that xenophobia, racial intolerance and violence against foreign nationals remained unacceptable.

He also urged Nigerians living abroad to obey the laws of their host countries, register with the nearest Nigerian diplomatic mission and maintain regular contact with the missions to facilitate timely consular assistance when required.

(NAN)

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Senate Public Accounts Committee has issued a one-week ultimatum to external auditors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to account for more than N210 trillion in unreconciled figures contained in the company’s audited financial statements.

It said that auditors, who certified the accounts, could not evade responsibility for defending them.

The committee, chaired by Ibrahim Dankwambo, handed down the directive yesterday after a tense hearing during which lawmakers rejected repeated attempts by the auditors to refer questions back to the NNPCL, insisting that the figures they signed off on must be fully explained.

At the heart of the controversy are N107 trillion recorded as receivables and N103 trillion listed as payables in the company’s audited accounts.

The lawmakers said the figures remain unexplained because neither the NNPCL nor its auditors had produced schedules identifying the transactions, counterparties or calculations behind them.

The auditors, however, informed the committee that the supporting schedules formed part of their working papers and requested about two weeks to retrieve the documents.

The request was firmly rejected.

Dankwambo questioned why auditors, who had certified the accounts, could not immediately produce documents supporting the figures.

“When you have figures in audited financial statements, there must be schedules showing exactly how those figures were derived. If those schedules already exist in your working papers, why do you need additional time before presenting them to this committee?” he queried.

But the audit firm said that the NNPCL remained its client and that detailed explanations should ordinarily come from the company, recalling that during an earlier hearing, lawmakers had agreed that NNPCL officials would explain the figures.

That position drew sharp criticism from the committee.

The committee said that NNPCL, being wholly owned by the Federal Government on behalf of Nigerians, could not invoke commercial secrecy to shield information from the Parliament.

“NNPCL belongs to the Nigerian people, not to private shareholders. Parliament has every constitutional right to examine its accounts, and no confidentiality agreement can override that responsibility,” a lawmaker said.

The auditors were thereafter discharged and directed to reappear before the committee within one week with the requested documentation.

RELATEDLY, the House of Representatives Committee on Finance has demanded a comprehensive breakdown of the estimated N34 trillion worth of import duty waivers granted in 2025,

It, however, directed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to disclose the beneficiaries, legal basis and objectives of the concessions as part of efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Federal Government’s fiscal incentives.

The committee also faulted the NCS over what it described as inconsistencies in its revenue reporting, insisting that the agency must explain how it generated collections above its approved revenue targets and reconcile apparent disparities in its monthly financial records.

Chairman of the committee, James Abiodun Faleke, gave the directive when the management of the NCS appeared before the panel as part of the National Assembly’s ongoing revenue monitoring and oversight exercise.

Faleke said the committee was not opposed to the government’s waiver policy, noting that such incentives remained legitimate tools for stimulating economic growth and supporting key sectors.

He, however, maintained that lawmakers had a constitutional duty to ensure that the concessions were granted transparently and achieved their intended objectives.

According to him, the committee wants to know who benefited from the waivers, the legal authority under which they were approved and whether they translated into measurable gains for the economy.

The committee equally queried the NCS over its revenue presentation, saying that while the agency had consistently exceeded its yearly targets, the documents submitted to lawmakers did not clearly explain the sources of the additional revenue.
Faleke said proper financial accountability required the NCS to provide a detailed month-by-month analysis showing why revenue collections fluctuated and how the excess earnings were realised.

Deputy Chairman of the committee, Saidu Mohammed Abdullahi, said the Federal Government should consider raising the revenue targets assigned to the NCS, saying that its consistent over-performance showed the agency possessed greater revenue-generating capacity than currently projected.

Responding on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Kikelomo Adeola, clarified that the NCS does not approve import duty waivers.

She said that approvals are granted by the Federal Ministry of Finance in accordance with existing laws and government policy, while the Customs merely implements the approvals.