The Mary Habila death mystery took a sharper turn on Friday. Fresh legal advice from the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice confirmed that investigators still lack answers about how the nurse died. Meanwhile, her grieving family pushed harder for the release of her body for burial.
Habila worked as a nurse attached to the office of the Minister of Works, David Umahi. She died on June 27, 2026, at a private residence linked to the minister. Consequently, her death sparked public interest, police investigations, and a prolonged standoff over her remains.
According to the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice, a post-mortem examination remains necessary to determine what caused her death. Officials stated that no evidence pointed to any prior health problem before the incident occurred. As a result, the case now sits at a tense crossroads between forensic procedure and family tradition.
Mary Habila Death Case Reaches the Inspector-General
The disagreement between Habila’s family and investigators has escalated significantly. Therefore, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, is now expected to intervene after the family filed a formal petition on Friday.
Habila’s lawyer, K.A. Yusuf, submitted the petition at the Force Headquarters in Abuja. Specifically, it accused the Ebonyi State Police Command of unlawfully withholding the corpse weeks after her death. The document carried the title “Complaint Against the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State, for the Unlawful Refusal to Release the Corpse of Late Mary Habila for Burial.”
Yusuf argued that the family had met every requirement the police demanded. Still, officers repeatedly denied the request to release the body. He added that the prolonged delay caused emotional, financial, and cultural hardship for the family. Additionally, it prevented them from performing customary and religious burial rites.
Habila’s father, Wisdom, spoke plainly after the petition went in. He simply wants his daughter’s body so he can bury her. “I need the corpse of my daughter to take her for burial. That is what I am standing on,” he said. Notably, he clarified that the family suspects no one of wrongdoing. “I am not suspecting anybody because death can occur,” he explained.
Even so, Wisdom firmly rejected an autopsy. “I don’t want the autopsy,” he stated, insisting that releasing the corpse remains his only demand.
DPP Says Habila Was Healthy Before Sudden Death
A legal opinion from the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice added new weight to the Mary Habila death inquiry. The document, dated July 15, 2026, came from the Director of Public Prosecutions, J.U. Chukwu. It was addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police at the State Criminal Investigation Department.
Titled “The DPP’s Legal Advice in Re: Case of Sudden Death and Unnatural Death of Mary Habila,” the advice backed the police recommendation for a post-mortem exam. Furthermore, it noted that establishing the immediate and remote causes of death remains essential to the investigation.
“There was no evidence that the deceased was sick or unstable health-wise prior to her sudden death, as she was full of life at the time she returned to Uburu,” the advice stated. Meanwhile, investigators found her alone in her apartment, unclothed, with bloodstains around her nose and mouth. Given these details, the DPP argued that only a post-mortem examination — a standard forensic procedure explained in detail on Wikipedia — could clarify what happened.
Even so, the ministry left the final call to police discretion. It suggested officers could either respect the family’s wishes or proceed with the exam.
Meanwhile, police have already begun interviewing people connected to the case. A senior police source confirmed that several individuals gave statements this week. “They have been invited by the police to make statements. That’s how it’s done,” the source said, declining to share further details.
The minister’s media aide, Nwaeze Francis, said he had no information about any invitation sent to Umahi himself.
Umahi Responds, Political Reactions Follow
Umahi broke his silence on Thursday. He said he suspected no foul play and dismissed attempts to link him to the case as “politics taken too far.” According to him, Habila worked closely with him for years and felt like family. He also revealed that she had a history of medical issues and that he personally supported her treatment. Notably, he mentioned that she complained of nasal bleeding during a phone call with her boyfriend shortly before she died.
Meanwhile, Habila’s colleague, Anita Baaki, and her lawyer pushed back against reports describing her as a physiotherapist. Both confirmed she worked as a nurse for roughly three years under the minister.
The case has since drawn national political attention. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend Umahi pending a transparent probe, arguing Ebonyi authorities alone shouldn’t handle it. However, a faction of Ohanaeze Ndigbo pushed back, calling resignation demands premature and politically driven. Similarly, the minister’s kinsmen under the Rulers Council urged an impartial inquiry based on evidence rather than politics.
For now, the standoff continues. The family wants closure and burial; investigators want answers through forensic science. Until the Inspector-General weighs in, the Mary Habila death case remains unresolved.
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