A business woman from Ebonyi State, Tracy Nicolas Ohiri, accuses Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi of sexual harassment and refusal to pay her N250 million debt
By Our Correspondent
Tracy Nicolas Ohiri, an Ebonyi State-born business woman has raised the alarm over human rights abuses in Nigeria by highly placed politicians and Nigeria Police. Ohiri spoke shortly after she was released on bail from a Magistrate’s Court sitting in Abuja on Friday, February 27, 2026.
Ohiri, who accused David Umahi, the Minister of Works of owing her N250 million for over 12 years, said her time in detention which was orchestrated by Umahi, exposed disturbing realities inside Nigerian police cells.
Addressing journalists, she described the situation at the Asokoro detention cell where she was held, saying, “My conscience will not allow me not to inform Nigerians. In Asokoro cell where I was kept, there were four young men with families brought from Ebonyi State to Abuja. They have been in the cell for more than 33 days.”
Ohiri stressed that the prolonged detention of these men raises questions about due process and fair treatment. She explained that her decision to speak out was driven by moral responsibility after witnessing what she described as neglect and injustice.
Her long running dispute over an unpaid debt has already drawn national attention, with rights advocates warning against intimidation of citizens seeking accountability from powerful figures. Ohiri said her experience showed the urgent need for transparency and reform within Nigeria’s detention system.
The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, has accused human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, of pushing misleading narratives as he opened up on the alleged N250 million he owed Ohiri.
On Thursday, February 26, 2026 Sowore had shared a video of his confrontation with Umahi over the detention of Ohiri who was allegedly arrested from Ebonyi State and detained at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command under the directive of the minister.
Ohiri, according to Sowore, had delivered materials for Umahi’s governorship campaign back in 2014.
The minister was alleged to have since refused to pay for the materials and directed police to arrest the woman over her persistent demand for her money in what Sowore labelled intimidation.
Reacting to the allegation in a statement issued on the same Thursday, February 26 by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, Umahi denied using the police to intimidate the woman.
The Minister said the police had acted within their constitutional mandate to maintain law and order and investigate complaints by arresting Ohiri in response to a petition submitted by his lawyer.
Umahi claimed he was only invited by the police to write his statement over the petition and arrest of the woman.
He accused Sowore of attempting to dramatise the lawful process by staging a public spectacle, reiterating that he never deployed the police to settle personal scores.
On the allegation filed against him, Umahi held that Ohiri’s accounts have been inconsistent, contradictory, and lacking coherence.
Umahi’s response read; “The Media Office of the Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, CON, has taken note of a video currently being circulated by Omoyele Sowore, in which he attempts to publicly confront and provoke the Minister over a matter already before the appropriate authorities.
“For clarity and public record, the allegations referenced by Mr Sowore were made by Mrs Tracy Ohiri and have been in the public space since last year.
“These claims, which relate to alleged assault and unpaid campaign materials, have been repeatedly published through social media videos and writings.
“It is important to state that her accounts have been inconsistent, contradictory, and lacking coherence, a fact that has been widely observed by members of the public who have followed the matter over time.
“Contrary to the misleading narrative being pushed by Sowore, the honourable minister did not deploy the police to settle any personal score.
“The Nigeria Police Force, acting within its constitutional mandate to maintain law and order and investigate complaints, acted on a petition submitted by the minister’s lawyer, arrested her, and invited the Honourable Minister in line with standard procedure for statements.
“Mr Sowore’s attempt to dramatise this lawful process by staging a public spectacle is a familiar pattern of performative activism aimed at gaining attention rather than seeking truth.
“The honourable minister, consistent with his character and respect for due process, declined to be drawn into theatrics and calmly disengaged.
“As it stands, the matter is under police investigation, where facts will determine the outcome.
“Activism, in its true sense, is not about indiscriminate attacks on public office holders or chasing relevance. It is about integrity, balance, and a genuine commitment to justice without prejudice or personal bias.
“The Honourable Minister of Works remains fully committed to transparency, respect for the rule of law, and the uninterrupted delivery of critical infrastructure for the benefit of Nigerians.
“He will continue to respect institutional processes and will not be distracted by calculated provocations.”
On her side, the Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Ireti Kingibe, has waded into the matter resulting in the release of Ohiri from detention.
Senator Kingibe, on Friday, February 27, intervened in the detention of Ohiri, who was arrested by police following her claim that Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi, owed her about N250 million for rendering printing and souvenir packaging services.
Kingibe who chairs the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, spoke to journalists at a hospital in Abuja where Ohiri was admitted after reportedly falling ill during her detention.
According to the lawmaker, Ohiri had met all bail conditions granted by a magistrate court, yet remained in custody until her intervention.
“I was told she had been granted bail, the bail had been perfected, and yet she was still not released. She was also unwell and had to be admitted in the hospital. As her senator, it is my duty to speak up when my constituents are being oppressed,” Kingibe said.
She disclosed that she escalated the matter by reaching out to senior officials, including colleagues in the National Assembly and the Senate President, leading to Ohiri’s eventual release.
“The Senate President intervened at the very top, and with the help of colleagues at all levels, she was released. Justice must be served. This is a democracy and we must be fair,” she added.
Senator Kingibe raised concerns over what she described as the abuse of police powers in civil disputes, insisting that no individual should be detained without a valid detention order.
“You cannot lawfully take someone into custody if the detention order is not valid. That is the simple question we asked, and there was no answer,” she said.
