Protesters stormed the Federal Ministry of Works headquarters in Mabushi, Abuja on Wednesday March 4, 2026, calling out Minister of Works David Umahi over allegations that have been generating significant public attention in recent days.
The demonstration was notably charged from the outset some protesters arrived equipped with tear gas protection masks, a clear indication they anticipated a forceful response and came fully prepared for confrontation.
The protest is the latest development in a growing public controversy surrounding the minister, with demonstrators demanding accountability and calling on Umahi to address the allegations that have been swirling around him.
The protest is directly linked to the widely reported case of Tracy Nicholas Ohiri, a businesswoman who went public on social media alleging that Umahi owes her approximately N250 million for goods and services she claims to have supplied him personally at his Abakaliki residence in Ebonyi State over 12 years ago. Her decision to speak out publicly led to her arrest, arraignment before a Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja on defamation charges, and a subsequent health scare when she collapsed in detention and was rushed to hospital.
Speaking outside the court before her health deteriorated, a distressed Ohiri addressed the minister directly. “David Umahi, pay me my money. I supplied goods to you, directly to you. I brought it to your house in Abakaliki. You know me very, very well. You will give me my money. There is nothing honourable about you,” she said.
She also alleged that her detention was being monitored on the minister’s behalf. “The one that is my IPO always calls David and his PA to give them information if I’m weak, if I’m broken. I can never be broken,” she said.
Umahi has denied the allegations. Speaking during an inspection tour of federal projects in the South East, the minister described the claims as mischievous and unfounded, pointing to his long record in public service. “As party chairman, I owed nobody, and of course I presided over both men and women, and nobody ever said I harassed him or I owed him,” he said, adding that he served as deputy governor and governor for eight years without such allegations.
His office subsequently urged the public to redirect attention to more pressing global matters.
As of the time of this report, the Ministry of Works had not issued any formal response to today’s demonstration.
