The Minister of Works, David Umahi, and the Ebonyi State Police Command have insisted that an autopsy must be carried out on the body of 26-year-old nurse Mary Habila to determine the cause of her death, despite opposition from her family.
According to Punch, the demand followed an application by Habila’s father, Tanko Habila, before the Ebonyi State High Court seeking to withdraw the police investigation into his daughter’s death. The family also rejected an autopsy, saying they did not suspect foul play and that the procedure was against their culture.
However, the Ebonyi State Police Command said a post-mortem examination remains necessary because of the sensitive nature of the case. Police spokesperson Joshua Ukandu said detectives had begun a full investigation, visited the scene and obtained statements from relevant persons.
He added that the command was awaiting the attendance of the family or its representatives so a pathologist could conduct the autopsy to establish the exact cause of death.
Umahi also appealed to the family to allow the procedure, saying he had directed that Habila’s body should not be released for burial until an autopsy was conducted.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the minister said Habila was a nurse employed by the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ebonyi State, and not a physiotherapist as widely reported. He described her as “like a daughter” who had worked closely with him for about three years.
Umahi said he had personally funded her medical treatment at a Turkish hospital, revealing that he paid ₦2.2 million for her most recent treatment in April.
He also claimed that shortly before her death, Habila spoke with her boyfriend and complained of bleeding from her nose. According to him, she later told her boyfriend she intended to take a bath before communication stopped.
The minister said staff members later forced open her locked room after she failed to respond and found her dead, with the tap still running. He maintained that there was no evidence of foul play and urged investigators to examine the final phone conversations between Habila and her boyfriend.
Meanwhile, Habila’s colleague, Anita Baaki, confirmed in a sworn affidavit that she was among staff members staying in the staff chalet at Umahi’s country home in Uburu for official duties. She said Habila visited her room on the night before her death, said she was tired and planned to take a shower before sleeping.
Baaki said concern arose the following morning when Habila did not respond to repeated phone calls. After her room was forced open, she was found unconscious and later confirmed dead at the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital.
The case has also attracted political and civil society reactions. The Allied People’s Movement called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend Umahi to ensure an independent investigation, while the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights urged the minister to step aside during the probe.
The rights group also insisted that no family has the legal authority to halt a criminal investigation and called for an independent forensic autopsy, preservation of evidence, witness protection and prosecution of anyone found culpable.
