Businesswoman Reveals She Was Promised $70K to Retract Allegations Against Umahi [VIDEO]

Businesswoman Tracyniter Nicholas Ohiri has alleged that her earlier retraction of claims against the Minister of Works, David Umahi, was scripted and made under pressure, insisting she was promised $70,000 which was never paid.

In a new video circulating online, Ohiri claimed that a lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, coerced her into recording the retraction, assuring her that Umahi had agreed to compensate her before the video was released.

“Marshal, you gave me a script… you forced me to do this video. You said the person told you he was willing to pay me and compensate me for even arresting me and body-shaming me in public,” she said.

She further alleged that the agreement was for the payment to be made before the video went public, but this was not fulfilled.

“You told me that I would receive my payment before you released the video. How did you release it without me getting my money?” she asked.

Ohiri also claimed she was isolated and intimidated during the process.

“You made sure I did not speak to anybody… you kept threatening me,” she said, calling on the Nigerian Bar Association to investigate Abubakar’s conduct, which she described as unethical.

Ohiri had earlier accused Umahi of owing her about N250 million for promotional and printing services allegedly rendered during his 2015 governorship campaign in Ebonyi State. She also accused him of sexual harassment and intimidation after demanding payment—claims the minister has consistently denied.

She was later arrested in Lagos over alleged cyberbullying linked to her social media posts and subsequently transferred to Abuja, where she was detained at the FCT Police Command. She was later arraigned before a magistrate court in Wuse on a defamation charge and granted bail.

The case drew public attention after activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore confronted the minister at the police headquarters, criticising what he described as the criminalisation of a civil dispute.

Responding to the allegations, Umahi denied both the debt and claims of harassment, describing them as baseless.

“As party chairman, I owed nobody… I presided over both men and women, and nobody ever said I harassed them,” he said, adding, “What you read on social media, I’m not worried about it… it’s just to make social media alive.”

Amid the controversy, Ohiri had earlier released a video retracting her allegations and apologising to the minister and his family, stating that her decision followed consultations with her family, friends, and legal team. In that video, she noted there was no formally signed agreement between her and the minister and suggested any materials she supplied may have been used by aides without his knowledge.

However, her latest claims contradict that retraction, as she now insists it was made under duress and tied to a promised financial settlement that was never fulfilled.

In response, Abubakar, in a statement on his Facebook page, denied coercing Ohiri or withholding any payment, describing her allegations as false.

He said he supported her during her arrest by mobilising assistance, engaging activists, and helping to secure her bail. He added that efforts were made to mediate between her and the minister, who maintained he was not indebted to her.

“He insisted that he wasn’t owing her and wouldn’t pay unless she can establish the existence of a contract,” Abubakar said.

He further stated that no evidence was found to support her claims during mediation.

“There was no single credible evidence of any contractual agreement… no proof that the minister ever engaged her,” he said.

Abubakar added that Ohiri agreed to retract her allegations as part of efforts to resolve the dispute, noting that the $70,000 mentioned was provided by a third party, Joseph Ekumankama, not as compensation or an admission of liability, but to facilitate peace.

He denied benefiting financially from the arrangement and alleged that Ohiri later demanded a significantly higher sum.

“She threatened to drag my name online unless I pay her N300 million,” he said, adding that he is considering legal action over the allegations.

Watch video here: https://x.com/General_Somto/status/2034710760245342550?s=20