Relatives Reject Autopsy, Insist Mary Habila Was a Nurse, Not a ‘Runs Girl’
The family of 26-year-old nurse, Mary Habila, who died while attached to the medical team of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene and direct the immediate release of her body for burial.
Addressing journalists at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the family’s lawyer, Kaile Yusuf, said all police procedures required for the release of the deceased’s remains had been completed, yet the body had remained in custody for nearly three weeks after her death.
Habila, an employee of the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, reportedly died on June 27, 2026, while serving with the minister’s medical team in Ebonyi State.
Yusuf described the continued detention of the body as unfortunate, insisting there was no legal justification for withholding the remains after the family had fulfilled all necessary requirements.
He also dismissed reports describing Habila as a physiotherapist, stating that she was a trained nurse who had previously worked at the David Umahi University of Health Sciences before being deployed to the Office of the Minister of Works, where she served as a civil servant for about three years.
According to him, official documents, including her appointment letter and salary records, confirm her employment as a nurse.
The lawyer further alleged that some individuals were attempting to politicise the circumstances surrounding her death and disclosed that the family had petitioned the IGP over the actions of the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police.
He said the family had consistently rejected requests for an autopsy on personal, cultural and traditional grounds.
“We want to make it clear to the world that Mary Habila was never a ‘runs girl.’ She was a nurse who had been working with the minister before her unfortunate death,” Yusuf stated.
Speaking emotionally, the deceased’s father, Tanko Habila, appealed for the release of his daughter’s remains, saying the family only wanted to give her a dignified burial.
“I don’t have much to say. All I want is the corpse of my daughter. We don’t keep the bodies of young people for this long. I just want to take my daughter home for burial,” he said.
He added that the family was not accusing anyone of causing Habila’s death but only seeking the release of her body.
Also speaking, Habila’s colleague, Anita Baaki, clarified that she—not the deceased—was the physiotherapist, while Mary Habila served as a nurse.
The dispute over the release of the body centres on the issue of an autopsy. While the family has rejected a post-mortem examination for personal, cultural and traditional reasons, the Ebonyi State Police Command and the Minister of Works insist an autopsy is necessary to establish the exact cause of death.
Senator David Umahi has maintained that the body should not be released until the autopsy is conducted.
