.Jibrin’s aide condemn Atiku’s call for Umahi’s suspension .Atiku faults FG, police over handling of Mary Habila, Dolapo Tanimola’s deaths Chuks Okocha, Emmanuel Addeh, Linus Aleke in Abuja and Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki The family of late Miss Mary Habila has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, seeking the release of her remains for burial, while opposing calls for an autopsy before interment. This was as a legislative aide to the Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, Chief Emmanuel Igwe, has condemned the recent call made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for the suspension of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, over the death of Mary Habila in his residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State. But former vice President and the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku, has criticised the federal government and the Nigeria Police Force over what he described as their failure to properly investigate the deaths of Mary Habila and Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola. The late Habila’s father, Mr. Tanko Habila, accompanied by his wife, other family members and their lawyers, submitted the petition at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, yesterday. He later addressed journalists, appealing to the police to release his daughter’s remains to enable the family to give her a befitting burial. Mary Habila, a nurse, died on 27 June 2026 in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, at a residence belonging to the Minister of Works, Senator Umahi. The family said it had been unable to bury her nearly two weeks after her death due to the continued retention of her remains by the authorities. Speaking after the family’s lawyer addressed the media, Tanko said the family was not seeking an autopsy and was not accusing anyone of wrongdoing. “As we are standing here, somebody can fall and die. It has happened. All we want is her body to be buried,” he said. He added, “I am demanding the corpse of my daughter to go and bury her now. We don’t want that autopsy that they are talking about, and I am not suspecting anybody because death can occur. Even as we are standing here, one can fall here now and die.” Tanko said the family had a close relationship with Mary before her death and appealed to the police to respect their desire to lay her to rest peacefully. He also cautioned against politicising the incident. Speaking on behalf of the family, their lawyer, Kaile Adamu Yusuf, said the decision to oppose an autopsy was based on the family’s cultural and religious considerations. He also disputed descriptions of the deceased as a physiotherapist, stating that she was a nurse employed by David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State, before she was seconded to the minister’s office, where she had worked for about three years. Yusuf said the family had followed the necessary procedures required by the police to obtain the remains but was yet to receive them. “It is regrettable that, having followed all the necessary procedures required by the Nigerian Police in Ebonyi State to retrieve the body and give her a befitting burial, her remains are yet to be released to the family,” he said. He alleged that attempts were being made to use the circumstances surrounding Mary’s death for political purposes, adding that the family believed she should not become a subject of political controversy. “The family is determined and has maintained its position not to allow the autopsy because of personal, cultural and traditional reasons,” he added. Yusuf disclosed that the family had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over the continued withholding of the remains, requesting their release for burial. Also speaking, Mary’s colleague, Anita Baaki, described the nurse’s death as shocking and painful, characterising it as a very great loss to her. Baaki also refuted claims that she and the deceased were recently brought to work for the minister. “We were not transported from anywhere. We have both worked under the minister for about three years. She was a nurse, while I am the physiotherapist. Those reports are simply not true” she concluded. Meanwhile, lawyers to the Minister of Works, Umahi, have requested that an autopsy be conducted before the release of Mary’s remains. In a request titled: ‘Request For The Conduct Of An Autopsy On The Late Miss Mary Habila Before The Release Of Her Remains’, the minister’s lawyers urged the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that a comprehensive autopsy is carried out by qualified forensic pathologists to establish the cause and circumstances surrounding her death. The lawyers stated that the request was made in the interest of justice, transparency and the prope
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