From Victor Osula, Abuja
The father of the late Mary Habila, the 26-year-old nurse who died while on official assignment at the country home of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, demanding the immediate release of his daughter’s remains for burial.
Tanko Habila, accompanied by his wife, other family members and their legal representatives, submitted the petition at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Friday, saying the continued detention of his daughter’s body by the Ebonyi State Police Command had compounded the family’s grief.
Addressing journalists shortly after submitting the petition, Habila 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.
Speaking after the family’s lawyer addressed the media, the bereaved father appealed to the police to respect the family’s wishes and allow them to bury their daughter.
“As we are standing here, somebody can fall and die. It has happened. All we want is her body”, he said.
According to him, the prolonged retention of the body has caused additional emotional trauma for the family, whose only desire is to give their daughter a dignified burial.
The petition is the latest step taken by the family after it earlier filed an affidavit before the High Court of Justice in Ebonyi State rejecting a proposed forensic autopsy.
In the affidavit, the family stated that it did not suspect any criminal act or foul play in Habila’s death and therefore saw no need for further investigation. It also requested that the police discontinue further investigative procedures and release the body immediately for burial.
The family maintained that its decision was made voluntarily and without pressure, coercion or inducement from any person.
Despite the family’s position, the Ebonyi State Police Command has insisted that the investigation cannot be concluded without a forensic examination.
The Command said it launched a comprehensive investigation after receiving a distress report on June 27 that Habila had been brought dead to the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital (DUFUTH), Uburu.
Police spokesperson, 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.
Mary Habila, a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences (DUFUMS), had been on secondment to the Federal Ministry of Works, where she served in the Office of the Minister of Works for about three years.
She died on June 27, 2026, while on official assignment in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
A sworn affidavit by her colleague, Anita Baaki, at Ebonyi High Court, stated that Habila was found unconscious inside her room after failing to respond to repeated telephone calls and knocks. Baaki further stated that she had to alert other staff in the compound and they broke the door which was locked from inside. Habila was rushed to the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, where doctors confirmed that she was brought in dead.
Minister of Works David Umahi has repeatedly denied allegations of a cover-up, insisting that the incident was promptly reported to the police and that there was no attempt to conceal the circumstances surrounding the nurse’s death.
