Umahi Controversy: Lawyer Moves Against Businesswoman, Threatens Legal Action

A human rights lawyer and activist, Marshal Abubakar, has accused a businesswoman, Tracy Ohiri, of spreading falsehoods over her dispute with the Minister of Works, David Umahi.

Abubakar also threatened to institute legal action against Ohiri, alleging that she had threatened to launch an online campaign to tarnish his reputation.

THE WHISTLER reports that Ohiri had last month accused Umahi of owing her about N250m and allegedly using the police to harass and detain her after she rejected his advances.

Umahi, however, dismissed the allegations, particularly claims that he demanded sex in exchange for payment, describing them as baseless and politically motivated.

Following the controversy, Ohiri, in a video statement released last Wednesday, retracted her earlier allegations against the minister, stating that her decision came after a proper review of the events surrounding the matter.

Reacting in a statement on Thursday, Abubakar insisted that he and other activists played a key role in preventing Ohiri from being jailed at the height of the crisis.

“My attention has been drawn to the falsehood being spewed by Ms Tracy Ohiri,” he said.

He added, “Indeed, the fact that you helped a viper out of a ditch doesn’t stop the snake from biting you. It’s an undeniable fact that I was the person who rallied public-spirited individuals like Distinguished Senator Ireti Kingibe, VeryDarkMan, Comrade Omoyele Sowore, FlagboyNg, Comrade Larry and several other comrades to her aid.

“It was on account of our continuous activism that Ms Ohiri is not in prison today.”

Abubakar disclosed that bail was secured for Ohiri despite what he described as attempts to have her remanded.

According to him, Senator Kingibe also attempted to mediate between Ohiri and Umahi, but the minister maintained that he was not indebted to her.

“I spoke to Senator Umahi with Mummy Ireti’s phone and he was adamant. He promised he would exhaust the full judicial process to clear his name and promised to pay her tenfold if the court ruled that he owes her; otherwise, she would face the full wrath of the law,” Abubakar said.

The lawyer further revealed that he presented Ohiri with two options – to explore a settlement or continue the legal battle, which would require her to provide evidence to support her claims.

According to Abubakar, his review of the matter showed no concrete evidence backing Ohiri’s allegations.

“I discovered that there was no single real evidence of any contractual agreement between her and the minister; no evidence that the minister ever engaged her for any contract, and no evidence that he ever made representations to her as claimed,” he said.

He also alleged that Ohiri failed to provide proof of delivering the goods she claimed. Following this, a meeting involving lawyers, associates of the minister, and Ohiri was held which ended in a stalemate after tensions escalated.

“Ms Ohiri has a terrible temper and manner; she threw tantrums and insults at everyone in that meeting, thus it ended on a sour note. We all left,” he stated.

He further alleged that Ohiri later apologised and sought continued assistance after the meeting collapsed.

Abubakar claimed that an associate of the minister, Barrister Joseph Ekumankama, subsequently provided $70,000 as a gesture to resolve the dispute, insisting the payment was neither compensation nor an admission of liability but aimed at fostering peace.

Abubakar, however, accused Ohiri of later turning against her supporters, alleging that she demanded N300m and threatened to launch an online campaign against him.

“Her anger is that I could not get N300m for her. I explained that her initial claim was N25m. Even N100m is far above that, and a court would most likely not award such, even if she could establish her claim.

“She promised to drag my name online unless I met with them to pay her N300m, claiming she had lost business and that I must be held responsible,” he alleged.

Expressing disappointment, Abubakar described the episode as a “painful lesson” and hinted at possible legal action.

“It’s so sad that a woman we defended at the expense of our lives and liberty could turn out this way. We befriended a scorpion and got a life lesson,” he said.

“I will appraise the situation and take appropriate legal action against Ms Ohiri,” he added.