The circumstances surrounding the death of Mary Habila, a nurse attached to the office of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, have taken a dramatic turn as her family rejected calls for an autopsy while police intensified investigations into her sudden death.
The controversy deepened on Friday after the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice advised that a post-mortem examination was necessary to establish the exact cause of Habila’s death, saying there was no evidence she had any underlying health condition before the incident.
The development comes as investigators have begun inviting individuals considered relevant to the case to provide statements.
Habila, a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, died on June 27, 2026, at a private residence linked to the minister, triggering widespread public interest and a police investigation.
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Despite the legal advice supporting an autopsy, the family has maintained that it wants her remains released immediately for burial, citing cultural and religious reasons.
Her father, Wisdom Habila, on Friday submitted a petition to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, accusing the Ebonyi State Police Command of unlawfully withholding his daughter’s corpse weeks after her death.
Speaking after submitting the petition at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the grieving father said his only wish was to bury his daughter.
“All that I want is the body of my daughter. We don’t keep the body of a little child for this long. I need her corpse to take her home for burial,” he said.
He also dismissed suggestions that the family suspected foul play.
“I am not suspecting anybody because death can occur. We are not suspecting anybody,” he added.
However, the family’s refusal to consent to an autopsy now places them at odds with investigators.
A legal opinion issued by the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice stated that available evidence showed Habila was healthy before returning to Uburu with her team on June 26.
According to the Director of Public Prosecutions, J.U. Chukwu, the nurse was found alone in her apartment, unclothed, with blood stains around her nose and mouth, creating circumstances that warranted further investigation.
“There was no evidence that the deceased was sick or unstable health-wise prior to her sudden death,” the legal advice stated.
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It added that only a post-mortem examination could establish both the immediate and remote causes of death and guide investigators.
While recommending an autopsy, the ministry acknowledged that police still retained the discretion to either respect the family’s wishes or proceed with the examination in the interest of justice.
Meanwhile, police have begun interviewing people connected with the incident.
A senior police source confirmed that several individuals had been invited to make statements as investigators worked to establish what happened before Habila’s death.
“They have all made their statements. The investigation is ongoing,” the source said.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, who addressed the matter publicly for the first time on Thursday, said he suspected no foul play and dismissed attempts to link him to the incident as “politics taken too far.”
The family’s lawyer, K.A. Yusuf, also corrected what he described as false reports about Habila’s identity, insisting she was a qualified nurse—not a physiotherapist—and had served in the minister’s office for about three years after being seconded from the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences.
He accused some individuals of attempting to tarnish her reputation after her death and insisted she deserved dignity and respect.
With the family demanding the immediate release of Habila’s body, investigators insisting an autopsy could unlock the mystery surrounding her death, and the Inspector-General of Police now petitioned to intervene, the case appears set for another crucial chapter in the coming days.
