The family of the late Mary Habila, a nurse attached to the office of the Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi, on Friday through its lawyer, submitted a petition at the Force Headquarters in Abuja against the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State, accusing the command of unlawfully withholding Habila’s remains weeks after her death. The family appealed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to order the immediate release of her body for burial, insisting that they do not support an autopsy. Speaking with journalists shortly after submitting the petition, Habila’s father, Wisdom Tanko Habila, said the family only wanted to give their daughter a proper burial. He also said the family was not suspecting anyone over her death. “I am not suspecting anybody because death can occur. Even as we are standing here, one can fall and die. It has happened,” he said. In the petition addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, the family’s lawyer, Barrister K.A. Yusuf, alleged that despite fulfilling all conditions required by the Police, the Ebonyi State Police Command had continued to refuse the release of Habila’s body without any legal justification. According to the petition, the prolonged detention of the corpse has subjected the family to emotional, financial and cultural hardship by preventing them from performing the deceased’s customary and religious burial rites. The lawyer urged the IGP to transfer the investigation from the Ebonyi State Police Command to the Force Headquarters in Abuja, direct the immediate release of the body, and sanction any officer found to have acted unlawfully. Addressing journalists, Yusuf clarified that the late Habila was a registered nurse and not a physiotherapist as widely reported in some sections of the media. “Late Mary Habila was not a physiotherapist. She was a nurse employed by David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, before she was seconded to the minister’s office. She had worked with him for about three years and remained a civil servant throughout,” he said. He dismissed allegations questioning Habila’s character, describing them as false and misleading. “It has become necessary to clear the grey areas and false allegations being propagated about her person and character. She deserves dignity, even in death,” he narrated. Yusuf disclosed that while the Minister of Works had repeatedly requested that an autopsy be conducted, the family had consistently declined based on cultural and personal convictions. He added that the continued refusal to release the body prompted the family to petition the IGP. “She died on June 27, 2026, and over two weeks later her body is still being withheld without any reasonable explanation. That is why the family instructed me to petition the Inspector-General of Police for urgent intervention,” he said. Habila’s added that conducting autopsy and other medical examinations cannot bring her back to life. In a statement issued by the chairman Jaba local government Area, Kaduna State, Larai Sylvia Ishaku, after visiting late Mary Habila’s family in Nok community, Kaduna, the chairman said Mary’s father told her that his decision not to request an autopsy was based on his personal conviction that, “no medical examination can bring his daughter back to life.” Mary’s father explained further that he harboured no resentment towards the Minister of Works, David Umahi or his family, expressing confidence that his daughter lived a responsible and honourable life that never gave him cause for concern. He appealed to the public to allow his daughter to rest in peace and avoid unnecessary speculation surrounding her death. Also speaking, Habila’s colleague, Anita Baaki, described the nurse’s death as shocking and painful, saying reports circulating about their relationship with the minister were inaccurate. 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,” he stated.
Don't miss out on breaking stories and in-depth articles.
