Tension erupted at the Force Headquarters in Abuja following a viral video showing a woman confronting the Minister of Works, David Umahi, over allegations of unpaid contract funds and sexual harassment.
The footage, which has been widely circulated on social media, shows the woman - identified as Mrs. Tracy Ohiri - charging toward the minister while being restrained by security operatives. The incident was first amplified by public affairs commentator Ugo Egbujo in a Facebook post, and later shared by activist and politician Omoyele Sowore.
According to Egbujo, Ohiri alleged that she executed a contract for which she was not paid. He further claimed that she accused the minister of withholding payment after she refused alleged sexual advances. Egbujo also alleged that after she began publicly speaking about the matter, the minister petitioned the police, leading to her arrest and transfer to Abuja.
In his narration, Egbujo said the woman was detained and that Umahi was later brought into what was described as an interview session, a development that reportedly triggered her emotional outburst.
“The enraged woman couldn’t stand the presence of Minister Umahi,” Egbujo wrote, urging that the allegations be thoroughly examined.
Toward the end of the video, Sowore is seen approaching the minister and accusing him of using the police to settle personal scores, a claim that has further fueled debate online.
However, in a press statement issued Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, Umahi dismissed the incident as “performative activism,” insisting that the matter is already under investigation by the Nigeria Police Force.
The minister’s office stated that the allegations made by Ohiri, which include claims of assault and unpaid campaign materials, have been in the public domain since last year and repeatedly circulated on social media.
According to the statement, Ohiri’s accounts are “inconsistent, contradictory, and lacking coherence,” a pattern it said had been widely observed by members of the public who have followed the case.
Rejecting claims that the minister deployed the police to intimidate the woman, the statement maintained that law enforcement authorities acted within their constitutional mandate after receiving a petition from Umahi’s lawyer.
“Contrary to the misleading narrative being pushed by Sowore, the Honourable Minister did not deploy the police to settle any personal score,” the statement read.
It explained that the police arrested Ohiri based on the petition and invited the minister to provide his statement as part of standard investigative procedure.
The media office accused Sowore of attempting to sensationalize a lawful process by staging a public confrontation at the police headquarters.
“Mr. Sowore’s attempt to dramatize this lawful process by staging a public spectacle is a familiar pattern of performative activism aimed at gaining attention rather than seeking truth,” the statement added.
Umahi’s team said the minister declined to engage in any altercation and “calmly disengaged,” allowing due process to take its course.
Leave a Reply