Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has confirmed the death of a 25-year-old physiotherapist, Miss Mary Habila, at his country home in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, and has renewed calls for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of her death amid growing public scrutiny and conflicting accounts of the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident. The minister, in a statement issued on Saturday, 11 July 2026, by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Francis Nwaze, said he received the news of Habila's death "with profound shock and sadness" and extended his heartfelt condolences to her family.
According to the statement, Habila and her colleague, Miss Anita Baski, were employees of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUS), Uburu, who had been on secondment to the Federal Ministry of Works as physiotherapists for the past three years until Habila's passing. Umahi said that immediately after the incident occurred, appropriate emergency steps were taken, with medical personnel, including the Chief Medical Director of DUFUS, contacted without delay, while the Nigeria Police was promptly notified in accordance with the law. The minister claimed that after Habila's death was confirmed, he personally received her parents, conveyed his condolences, and advised that an autopsy be conducted to scientifically establish the exact cause of death. However, he noted that the family initially declined the recommendation. Following fresh developments, Umahi said he had again insisted that an autopsy be carried out, describing it as "the most credible and responsible path to resolving all questions surrounding the unfortunate incident." He urged members of the public to exercise restraint, refrain from speculation or premature conclusions, and allow the relevant authorities to carry out their responsibilities without interference.
However, SaharaReporters, citing exclusive findings and police sources, reported that Habila was found naked when her body was removed from the minister's residence. According to the report, Habila and Baski arrived at the minister's residence on June 26 after travelling from Kaduna State, and investigators alleged that the two women were brought from Kaduna to attend to the minister. Habila was found dead inside the residence the following morning under circumstances that investigators are still working to establish. Police sources further disclosed that Jonathan Bawado, a police officer serving as Senator Umahi's Personal Assistant and who previously served as his Aide-de-Camp (ADC) during Umahi's tenure as Governor of Ebonyi State, was responsible for bringing the two women to the residence. Bawado was also the individual who alerted medical personnel after Habila was discovered unresponsive.
Multiple police sources told SaharaReporters that the incident occurred on June 27, 2026, barely a day after Habila and Baski were reportedly brought to the minister's residence. The death has since triggered a police investigation, with the case transferred from the Ohaozara Divisional Police Headquarters to the Ebonyi State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Abakaliki. According to sources, a doctor and an ambulance were subsequently dispatched to the residence, while the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ohaozara Police Division, CSP Tobechukwu Godwin, was notified of the incident. SaharaReporters further learnt that Professor Chihurumnanya Alo, Consultant Public Health Physician and Chief Medical Director of the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital (DUFUTH), Uburu, was also alerted about the incident.
The death of Mary Habila has generated significant public interest and concern, with many questioning the circumstances under which she died while in Uburu, Ebonyi State, and prompting calls for a transparent investigation. There have been concerns about how staff of the University hospital were seconded to the residence of the Minister of Works for no official reasons. SaharaReporters' investigation revealed that the incident had been shrouded in secrecy, with both the Ebonyi State Government and the state police command maintaining silence over the matter. As of the time of filing this report, the exact cause of Habila's death had not been officially disclosed, and it remained unclear whether an autopsy had been conducted or whether investigators had established if any criminal offence was involved. Efforts to obtain comments from the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, Hope Urunwa Okafor, were unsuccessful.
Umahi, in his statement, appealed to the public to avoid speculation and allow law enforcement authorities and medical experts to carry out their investigations without interference. "At this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers remain with the family of the deceased, and we pray that God grants them the strength to bear this irreparable loss," the statement concluded. As the investigation continues, the conflicting accounts and unanswered questions surrounding the death of Mary Habila have cast a shadow over the minister's residence, leaving the public and the family of the deceased searching for the truth.
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