The mystery surrounding the death of Mary Habila, a nurse attached to the office of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, deepened on Friday as legal advice revealed that authorities were still seeking answers to the circumstances surrounding her sudden demise.
While Habila’s family intensified its demand for the release of her remains for burial, the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice advised that a post-mortem examination was necessary to determine the cause of death.
The ministry stated that available evidence did not indicate that she was suffering from any health challenge before the incident.
The development came as the police began inviting persons considered relevant to the investigation, including those who may have information about the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death.
However, the family has continued to oppose an autopsy, citing cultural and personal reasons and insisting that their immediate concern is to recover her remains and perform her burial rites.
The disagreement between the family and investigators has now placed the case at a critical point, with the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, expected to intervene following a formal petition submitted by the family on Friday.
Habila, a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State, died on June 27, 2026, at a private residence linked to the minister.
Her death generated public interest after reports emerged about the circumstances under which she was found, prompting police investigations and the detention of her remains.
Family petitions IG
The family, through its lawyer, K.A. Yusuf, on Friday petitioned the IG, accusing the Ebonyi State Police Command of unlawfully withholding Habila’s corpse weeks after her death.
The petition, titled, “Complaint Against the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State, for the Unlawful Refusal to Release the Corpse of Late Mary Habila for Burial,” was submitted at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The family argued that it had fulfilled all requirements demanded by the police and had repeatedly requested the release of the body but was unsuccessful.
Yusuf said the continued custody of the remains had caused emotional and psychological distress to the family and prevented them from carrying out traditional and religious burial obligations.
“The prolonged withholding of our client’s daughter’s remains has caused our client and his family immense emotional, psychological, financial and cultural hardship.
“Our client’s family has been denied the opportunity to perform the customary and religious burial rites to which every deceased person is entitled,” the petition stated.
The lawyer urged the IG to take over the matter from the Ebonyi State Police Command, direct the immediate release of the corpse and investigate any officer found to have acted unlawfully.
Speaking after submitting the petition, Habila’s father, Wisdom, said the family’s position remained unchanged.
He said his only request was to take his daughter home and bury her.
“All that I want is the body of my daughter. We don’t keep the body of a little child for this long just like this.
“That is why I am here to say it once again and for all. I need the corpse of my daughter to take her for burial. That is what I am standing on,” Wisdom said.
Asked why the family was against an autopsy despite the police insisting that it would help unravel the circumstances surrounding her death, the grieving father said they had made their decision.
“I don’t want the autopsy. That is why I am demanding the release of the corpse of my daughter to go and bury her now,” he stated.
However, the father clarified that the family was not accusing anyone of causing Habila’s death.
“I am not suspecting anybody because death can occur. Even as we are standing here, one can fall here now and die. It has happened. So, we are not suspecting anybody,” he added.
Habila healthy before death – DPP
The family’s demand came against the backdrop of a legal opinion from the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice, which raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the nurse’s death.
The document, obtained by Saturday PUNCH, stated that Habila was healthy before she arrived in Uburu on June 26.
The legal advice, dated July 15, 2026, was signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, J.U. Chukwu, and addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department, Ebonyi State.
Titled, ‘The DPP’s Legal Advice in Re: Case of Sudden Death and Unnatural Death of Mary Habila with case file no. Cr: 578/2026,” the document supported the police recommendation for a post-mortem examination.
According to the DPP, establishing the immediate and remote causes of Habila’s death was essential to the investigation.
The advice stated, “There was no evidence that the deceased was sick or unstable health-wise prior to her sudden death, as she was full of life at the time she returned to Uburu in the company of her team.”
The document further stated that available evidence showed that Habila was alone in her apartment when she was found lifeless.
It added that she was found unclothed, with bloodstains around her nose and mouth.
The DPP noted that the circumstances surrounding the discovery of her body created the need for further investigation.
“From the foregoing, the question that would readily come to mind is what exactly caused the deceased’s sudden death? This curiosity under the law can only be resolved through a post-mortem examination, so as to provide a clue to the police as to the direction of their investigation,” the advice stated.
The ministry, however, acknowledged that the police had the discretion to either respect the family’s request or proceed with an autopsy.
“It is therefore the view of this office that the police invoke their discretionary power to either respect the request of the deceased’s family or proceed with the post-mortem examination,” it added.
Police invite suspects
Saturday PUNCH gathered on Friday that the police had commenced interviews with persons considered relevant to the investigation.
A senior police source confirmed that individuals connected to the incident had been invited to provide statements.
“They have been invited by the police to make statements. That’s how it’s done, and we can’t do otherwise here.
“If you call it an arrest, fine; if you call it an invitation, that’s also fine. But we invited all of them, and they have all made their statements,” the source said.
The source declined to provide details of the statements obtained, saying investigators were still working on the matter.
A senior official of the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the government was committed to ensuring a transparent investigation.
The official said the process would be allowed to run its course without interference.
However, the minister’s media aide, Nwaeze Francis, said he was not aware that Umahi had received any invitation from the police.
“As I speak with you, I have no information about any invitation or letter from the police to the minister. I have no information at all,” he said.
Umahi denies wrongdoing
The minister, who broke his silence on the matter on Thursday, said he suspected no foul play and described attempts to link him to the incident as “politics taken too far.”
Umahi said Habila was like a daughter to him and had worked closely with him for several years.
He disclosed that the deceased had a history of medical challenges and that he personally supported her treatment.
The minister also revealed that Habila complained of bleeding from her nose during a telephone conversation with her boyfriend shortly before she was found dead.
He maintained that there was no evidence of foul play.
Family defends Habila’s identity
Meanwhile, the family’s lawyer moved to correct what he described as misinformation about Habila’s identity and professional background.
Yusuf said the deceased was a nurse and not a physiotherapist.
“It is important to clear some grey areas, especially areas where false allegations have been propagated about her person and character.
“Late Mary Habila was not a physiotherapist. She was a nurse and was employed by the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, before she was seconded to the office of the minister,” he said.
According to him, Habila had worked in the minister’s office for about three years and remained a civil servant.
He said the family had documents, including her appointment letter and payslips, to establish her employment status.
The lawyer also criticised what he described as attempts to damage the reputation of the deceased after her death.
He said Habila deserved dignity and respect.
A colleague of the deceased, Anita Baaki, who attended the family’s briefing, equally dismissed reports suggesting that she and Habila were newly recruited into the minister’s office.
“We were not transported in any vehicle. We were colleagues and I have been working for a very long time. We have been working under the minister for about three years,” she said.
Baaki clarified that Habila was the nurse while she was the physiotherapist.
“She is a nurse. I am the physiotherapist here. The reports that she was a physiotherapist are not correct,” she added.
Calls for probe, resignation
The incident has attracted political reactions, with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar calling on President Bola Tinubu to suspend Umahi pending a transparent investigation.
Atiku argued that the investigation should not be handled solely by authorities in Ebonyi State because of the minister’s political influence.
Several groups have also called for a thorough investigation.
However, a faction of Ohanaeze Ndigbo opposed calls for Umahi’s resignation, describing them as premature.
In a statement signed by its Deputy President, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the group said no person should be punished before investigations were concluded.
It described the calls as politically motivated and urged that due process be respected.
The group also criticised what it called selective outrage, referring to previous cases of killings, questioning why political leaders who did not demand similar actions in those instances were now calling for sanctions.
According to the group, investigations should be allowed to proceed without political interference.
Similarly, the minister’s kinsmen under the Rulers Council warned against politicising the incident.
In a statement signed by their spokesperson, Nicholas Odi, they urged investigators to conduct an impartial inquiry based on evidence, professionalism and the outcome of any independent examination.
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