[VIDEO] Alleged N304m Debt: Ohiri hits Umahi again, vows never to back down 

Mrs. Tracy Ohiri has again publicly accused Minister of Works, David Umahi, of refusing to pay her for goods she supplied after she allegedly rejected his advances.

In a video shared Thursday by activist and politician Omoyele Sowore, Ohiri, visibly emotional, insisted that the former Ebonyi State governor deliberately withheld her payment because she declined to date him.

“David Umahi, I’m not afraid of you, pay me my money. You can lie all you want, but you must pay me my money. I supplied goods directly to you. You woke me up 5am and I brought them to your house in Abakaliki. You know me very well. Just because you asked to date me and I said no, you turned it upside down. You will give me my money,” she said.

Continuing, she alleged intimidation and abuse of power.

“They said you are honorable minister but there’s nothing honorable about you. You are using police to oppress me. You can never break me. In the cell where I slept last night, there are four men from Ebonyi State. They were brought all the way to Ebonyi state on the instruction of David Umahi. This is so painful.”

When asked how much she is owed, Ohiri responded: “The initial money is N25.4 million, but today the money that David is owning me with interest is worth over N304 million.”

The fresh claims have reignited public debate over the dispute between the businesswoman and the minister, a controversy that has played out in viral videos and official statements over the past 48 hours.

Business Hallmark had earlier reported that a dramatic scene unfolded on Wednesday during what was described as an interview session involving Umahi at the Force Headquarters in Abuja. In a separate video that circulated widely, Ohiri interrupted proceedings and publicly accused the minister of sexual harassment and non-payment for a contract she allegedly executed.

The confrontation was highlighted in a Facebook post by public affairs commentator Ugo Egbujo, who detailed the woman’s allegations and the circumstances surrounding the encounter.

According to Egbujo, Ohiri alleged that Umahi owed her money for a contract and refused to authorize payment after she rejected alleged sexual advances. He wrote that the woman, whom he described as married, had recently begun speaking publicly about the alleged debt and harassment, prompting the minister to petition the police.

Egbujo further stated that the police subsequently arrested Ohiri and transported her to Abuja, where she was reportedly detained. During her detention, he claimed, the minister was brought before her in what was described as an interview session.

“It was supposed to be an interview session,” Egbujo wrote, suggesting that tensions escalated when Ohiri saw the minister and became visibly enraged, disrupting the proceedings.

The video clip from Wednesday shows a heated exchange, with Ohiri audibly distressed while security operatives attempt to maintain order. However, the full circumstances leading up to the confrontation remain unclear.

As of the time of filing this report, there has been no official statement from the Minister of Works specifically addressing the latest allegations contained in Thursday’s video. The Nigeria Police Force has also not publicly detailed the basis for Ohiri’s arrest or the conditions of her detention.

Umahi’s Response

In a statement issued late Wednesday through his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, Umahi dismissed the earlier viral confrontation as a staged attempt to provoke him over a matter already under police investigation.

The statement said the video showed Sowore attempting to publicly confront the minister at the Force Headquarters over allegations that have been in the public domain since last year. According to the minister’s office, the claims, which it said border on allegations of assault and unpaid campaign materials, have been repeatedly aired on social media through videos and written posts.

Umahi’s media office maintained that Ohiri’s accounts have been “inconsistent, contradictory, and lacking coherence,” and rejected suggestions that the minister used the police to intimidate her.

“Contrary to the misleading narrative being pushed by Sowore, the Honourable Minister did not deploy the police to settle any personal score,” the statement said, adding that the police acted on a petition submitted by the minister’s lawyer.

The statement further described Sowore’s actions at the police headquarters as an attempt to dramatize a lawful investigative process and create a public spectacle, characterizing it as “performative activism aimed at gaining attention rather than seeking truth.”

According to the minister’s team, Umahi declined to engage in a public confrontation and instead chose to allow institutional processes to run their course.

Watch video below: