The family of Mary Habila, a 26-year-old nurse who passed away at the residence of the minister of works, David Umahi, has requested an Ebonyi State court to dismiss the police probe into her demise.
They have likewise denied permission for an autopsy on her body.
Her father, Tanko Habila, submitted the request in an affidavit dated July 13th and presented it to the High Court of Justice in Ebonyi State. He mentioned that the family did not believe there was any wrongdoing in her death.
“While I welcome steps being taken to unravel the cause of my daughter’s death, my family and I will not accept any autopsy,” the affidavit stated.
Habila was employed at the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences prior to being assigned to the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja, where she worked as a personal nurse for Umahi and his close team for approximately three years.
She passed away on June 27, 2026, in Uburu, located in the Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state, after accompanying the minister to his native town.
Umahi requested that an autopsy be performed to establish the reason for her death, but the family stated they would not agree to the procedure.
The family urged medical and investigative agencies to maintain her body and organs in their original state.
Her father expressed that he wished for the investigation to cease and requested that his daughter’s remains be returned to him so the family could move forward with her burial.
“I also wish not to proceed further with the investigation and further request to have my daughter’s body released to me for burial,” the affidavit stated.
He also stated that the family would not honor any further police or court invitations on the matter, insisting they did not suspect foul play.
He stated that the decision was made freely, without coercion or influence from anyone, and requested that her body be released immediately.
“While reiterating our request for the Nigerian Police to release my daughter’s corpse for burial, I wish to state that I was never induced, coerced, or influenced in any way with anything or by anybody to make these depositions, as everything deposed here reflects the sincere wishes of my family and me,” he said.
Regardless of the family’s stance, the Ebonyi State Police Command stated that the inquiry would persist.
The command’s representative, Joshua Ukandu, stated that investigators got a distress call on the day Habila passed away, indicating a medical emergency at the David Umahi Federal Teaching Hospital in Uburu.
Ukandu stated that Habila had passed away prior to her arrival at the hospital, leading the state commissioner of police to move the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department for a more thorough investigation.
Police reported that initial findings indicated Habila and a coworker, named Anita Baaki, were members of the minister’s medical team and had traveled with him to Uburu prior to her passing.
“The examination remains necessary given the sensitive nature of the case and the imperative of establishing the true cause of death,” the command said.
Investigators have gone to the location and gathered testimonies, and the authority mentioned it was organizing for a pathologist to perform the autopsy.
It mentioned that it was anticipating the arrival of the family or their representative, stating that their involvement is crucial to the process, and assured a clear and unbiased investigation with additional updates as the case evolves.
