The tragic death of Mary Habila, a 26- year-old nurse attached to the medical team of Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi, has sparked national controversy marked by conflicting claims, a legal petition, and a standoff over an autopsy.
Habila was found dead on June 27, 2026, at a guest house linked to the Minister in Uburu, Ebonyi State.
As the Ebonyi State Police Command insists on a post- mortem examination to determine the cause of death, the deceased’s family has vehemently rejected the procedure, demanding the immediate release of her remains for burial.
The Minister’s Account: “She Was Like a Daughter to Me”
In his first official response to the incident, the Minister addressed the press in Abuja, dismissing allegations of foul play and describing attempts to link him to the death as “politics taken too far”.
Umahi clarified that Habila was a nurse employed by the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, not a physiotherapist as some reports had suggested, and had been working closely with him for about three years.
“The lady in question was like a daughter to me. She had stayed with me for three years… And her family and my family are like one family,” Umahi stated.
He revealed that he had been personally funding her medical treatments for an undisclosed condition, including a recent bill of ₦2.2 million at a Turkish hospital in April.
Detailing the events leading up to her death, Umahi recounted a phone conversation Habila had with her boyfriend shortly before she died.
According to the Minister, Habila
complained of bleeding from her nose. “She spoke to her boyfriend at the hour of her death and complained that she was bleeding from the nose.The boyfriend said, ‘No, you have to report it.’ She said it had stopped,” Umahi narrated.
He added that the boyfriend advised
her to seek medical help, but she refused, not wanting to “stress” the Minister.
Umahi explained that Habila had locked herself in her room, intending to take a bath. When she could not be reached the following morning, her colleagues broke down the door and found her lifeless body with the tap still running.
The Minister emphasized that the guest
house where she died was located far from his personal residence, questioning the logic of holding him accountable simply because the incident occurred within facilities linked to the ministry.
The Family’s Stance: Rejection of Autopsy and Demand for the Corpse
Despite the Minister’s call for an autopsy to clear the air, Habila’s family has firmly rejected the procedure, citing cultural and personal reasons.
In a press briefing held in Abuja, the family’s legal representative, Barrister Kaile Adamu Yusuf, articulated their position.
“The minister has requested times without number for the autopsy of late Mary Habila, but the family have resolved and are determined and are still standing their grounds not to allow it because of some personal reasons and cultural reasons and traditional reasons too,” Yusuf stated.
The deceased’s father, Tanko Habila Wisdom, echoed this sentiment, expressing his desire to lay his daughter to rest without further delay. “I need the corpse of my daughter to take her for burial. That is what I’m standing on…
“We don’t want that autopsy that they are talking about,” he said. When asked if he suspected foul play, Wisdom replied, “I am not suspecting anybody because death can occur. Even as we are standing here, one can fall here now and die”.
The family has filed an “Affidavit of Withdrawal of Case” before the High Court of Justice of Ebonyi State, requesting that the medical and investigation protocols leave her body and organs intact.
They have also stated their intention not to honor any further invitations from the police or the court regarding the matter.
Petition Against the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police
Frustrated by the continued detention of Habila’s body, the family’s legal team submitted a petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) against Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police.
The petition, dated July 17, 2026, accuses the Commissioner of “unlawful refusal to release the corpse of late Mary Habila for burial”.
The document highlights that despite completing all necessary procedures required by law, the police have failed to authorize the release of the body without providing a valid legal justification.
The family argues that the prolonged withholding of the remains has caused them “immense emotional, psychological, financial and cultural hardship,” denying them the opportunity to perform customary and religious burial rites.
The petition requests the IGP to:
1. Transfer the case out of the Ebonyi State Police Command to the Nigerian Police Headquarters in Abuja.
2. Direct the immediate release of the corpse to the family for burial.
3. Take appropriate disciplinary or administrative action against any officer found to have acted unlawfully.
Police Insistence on Investigation
The Ebonyi State Police Command, however, maintains that an autopsy is necessary to ascertain the exact cause of death, given the circumstances.
The police reported that the Divisional Police Officer for Ohaozara responded to a distress call on June 27 and subsequently transferred the matter to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
Minister Umahi has supported the police’s stance, stating that he has directed his lawyers to ensure the corpse is not released until an autopsy is conducted.
“I have directed that the corpse cannot be removed until an autopsy,” Umahi asserted, adding that he has also
requested the IGP to transfer the investigation to Abuja to facilitate discussions with the family.
Colleague’s Testimony
Anita Baaki, a colleague who shared the same working environment with Habila, also spoke at the family’s press conference.
Visibly distressed, Baaki described Habila’s death as “so sudden and it’s so surprising.” She refuted rumors that they were transported in a coach, clarifying that they had been working under the Minister for about three years and were
stationed at the Federal University of Health Sciences in Uburu .
Conclusion
The death of Mary Habila remains a complex and sensitive issue, caught between a family’s desire for closure and the authorities’ mandate to conduct a thorough investigation.
As the standoff over the autopsy continues, the public awaits further developments from the Inspector General of Police regarding the family’s petition and the ultimate resolution of
this tragic case.
