Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The family of the late Mary Habila, the 26-year-old nurse who died on June 27, 2026, at the Uburu residence of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has formally petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, demanding the immediate release of her remains for burial and the transfer of the investigation from the Ebonyi State Police Command to the Force Headquarters in Abuja. The petition, dated July 17, 2026, was submitted through the family's solicitors, K.A. Yusuf & Associates, days after Habila's father swore an affidavit opposing an autopsy and requesting that no further investigation be conducted. The family's action marks the latest escalation in a tense standoff with the Ebonyi State Police Command, which has insisted on conducting a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death before releasing the body.
In the petition addressed to the IGP, the family's lawyers alleged that despite repeated applications, personal visits and compliance with all lawful requirements, the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police had continued to refuse to authorise the release of Habila's body. According to the petition, Mary Habila, a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences who was seconded to the Federal Ministry of Works, died on June 27, 2026, under circumstances reported to the police. Since then, her remains have allegedly remained in police custody at a designated mortuary. The family argued that the prolonged withholding of the body has caused "immense emotional, psychological, financial and cultural hardship," depriving them of the opportunity to perform customary and religious burial rites. "It is my client's respectful position that the continued detention of his daughter's corpse without lawful justification is arbitrary, oppressive, and inconsistent with the principles of justice, fairness and respect for human dignity," the petition stated.
The petition follows an affidavit sworn before the High Court of Justice of Ebonyi State on July 13, in which Habila's father, Tanko Habila Wisdom, stated that the family did not suspect any foul play in her death and would not consent to an autopsy. In the affidavit, he appealed to authorities to release the body for burial, stating that neither he nor his family wished to proceed with further police investigation and adding that the decision was made voluntarily and without coercion. Speaking to journalists after submitting the petition at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Friday, the grieving father expressed disappointment that almost two weeks after his daughter's death, the police had yet to release her remains. He maintained that the family was not interested in an autopsy and had no reason to suspect foul play in the circumstances surrounding Mary's death. "As we are standing here, somebody can fall and die. It has happened. All we want is her body to be buried," he said.
The family's petition comes amid an ongoing investigation that has drawn significant public attention. According to police accounts, the Ebonyi State Police Command received a distress call on June 27 from the Divisional Police Officer in Ohaozara, reporting a medical emergency involving Habila at the David Umahi Federal Teaching Hospital, Uburu. On arrival, the DPO was informed that Habila had been brought in dead. Preliminary findings indicated that Habila and a colleague were part of the medical team attached to the Minister of Works and had accompanied him to his hometown in Uburu, where she died in a room within the compound of his residence. The case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for thorough investigation.
Despite the family's opposition, the Ebonyi State Police Command has maintained that the investigation cannot be concluded without a forensic examination. The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, said detectives had visited the scene, interviewed relevant witnesses and commenced efforts to engage a qualified pathologist to determine the exact cause of death. According to the police, the post-mortem examination remains necessary because of the sensitive nature of the case and the need to establish the true circumstances surrounding the nurse's death. The Command has also stated that it is awaiting the attendance of the deceased's family or their duly authorised representative before the examination can be conducted.
The standoff has also drawn the intervention of the Ministry of Justice, which recommended a post-mortem examination in a legal advice dated July 15, 2026, addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ebonyi State Police Command. The legal advice noted that the evidence available in the police case file did not sufficiently establish what caused Habila's death, as Habila was found alone and unresponsive in her apartment, with circumstances at the scene raising questions that investigators could not resolve without a medical examination. "There was no evidence that the deceased was indisposed, sick or unstable health-wise prior to her sudden death, as she was full of life at the time she returned to Uburu in company of her team," the document stated.
Minister Umahi, who has denied any involvement in Habila's death, has also formally requested the Ebonyi State Police Command to ensure that a comprehensive forensic autopsy is conducted on Habila's remains. In a letter dated July 15, 2026, through his lawyer, Roy O. Umahi Nwaze, SAN, the minister clarified that the deceased did not reside in the same building as him but in a building designated for staff and other persons working with him. He urged the police to order a forensic examination of the body before it is released for burial. "In view of the circumstances surrounding the death of the deceased, and in the interest of justice, transparency, and the due administration of criminal justice, our client respectfully requests that the Nigeria Police Force cause a comprehensive autopsy to be conducted on the remains of the deceased by qualified forensic pathologists," the letter read.
The family has since fixed Friday, July 17, 2026, for the burial of Mary Habila at the Deeper Life Bible Church in Nok, Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, but the police insistence on an autopsy has left the funeral arrangements in limbo. The petition to the IGP marks the latest development in a case that has become a test of the balance between family rights, due process, and public accountability in Nigeria. As the family waits for a response from the Inspector-General of Police, the question remains whether the authorities will respect the family's wishes or proceed with the autopsy over their objections. For the Habila family, the prolonged detention of their daughter's body has compounded their grief, and their only desire is to give her a dignified burial in accordance with their customs and traditions.
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