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Ex- Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has criticised what he described as double standards in the investigation into the death of physiotherapist Mary Habila, saying the public response would have been entirely different if the victim had been the daughter of a government official

Dalung made the remark while reacting to the controversy surrounding Habila’s death at the country residence of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Speaking in a video shared on social media, the former minister questioned the pace and manner of the investigation, arguing that ordinary Nigerians are often subjected to harsher scrutiny than powerful public office holders.

“If Umahi’s daughter had been found naked in a poor man’s house, Nigeria would be burning,” Dalung said, suggesting that the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death would have attracted a different level of public outrage and official response if the roles had been reversed.

Mary Habila, a 26-year-old physiotherapist from Kaduna State, was found dead at Umahi’s residence on June 27, 2026. She was reportedly attached to the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences and had been seconded to the Federal Ministry of Works.

Umahi has since confirmed the incident, describing Habila as a dedicated member of staff who had worked with him for about three years. He said emergency medical personnel were contacted immediately after she was found unresponsive and disclosed that he advised the family to consent to an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

The minister has repeatedly denied allegations of any cover-up, insisting that he has nothing to hide and supports a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the physiotherapist’s death.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force transferred the case to the Ebonyi State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation, as public interest in the incident continues to grow.

Dalung’s remarks add to the increasing calls for transparency and accountability in the investigation, with many Nigerians demanding that the case be thoroughly investigated and that its outcome be made public regardless of the status of those involved.

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The United States on Tuesday expanded its sanctions aiming at Iran’s oil sector, taking further aim at the network of petroleum shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the Treasury Department said.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department had also frozen $130 million held in digital wallets linked to Iran’s central bank, hitting a sector that has seen increased activity since the start of the war.

The move came after US forces carried out a fourth straight day of strikes against Iran and reimposed a naval blockade, with Iran in turn hitting ships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the International Maritime Organization.

Iran started blocking the strait — a key waterway for energy transit — after US-Israel attacks in February. Washington imposed an initial blockade on Tehran’s ports from mid-April to mid-June.

“This action is part of Treasury’s ongoing efforts to ramp up economic pressure on the Iranian regime after it resumed destabilizing attacks in the Strait of Hormuz,” the Treasury Department said in a notice Tuesday.

It charged that the Shamkhani network remains a key force behind Iran’s oil exports, and has expanded into global commodities trading.

The latest move took aim at more than 50 individuals, entities and vessels that it said enabled Iranian authorities to reap profit.

The Treasury Department added that it has now imposed sanctions on over 200 individuals, entities and vessels operating under Shamkhani’s patronage.

Shamkhani is the son of security official Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Both were killed February 28, the first day of US-Israeli attacks and the start of the Middle East war.

Bessent said the department “sanctioned multiple wallets tied to the Central Bank of Iran, resulting in the freeze of over $130 million.”

“We will continue to aggressively follow the money and deny the Iranian regime access to the proceeds of its illicit revenue schemes,” he said in a post on X.

Experts say digital asset platforms have been used to circumvent sanctions placed on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and as a financial safe haven for civilians hit by soaring inflation.

Iran has largely been cut off from the global financial system due to US and European sanctions in place for years before the war. Cryptocurrency has offered a path for citizens and businesses to transact with the rest of the world.