The family of Mary Habila, the 26-year-old nurse who died at the residence of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, in Ebonyi State, has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, to intervene and order the immediate release of her body for burial.
Speaking to journalists at the force headquarters in Abuja on Friday, the family’s lawyer, Kaile Yusuf, said all requirements set by the police for the release of the corpse had been met.
Habila, who worked with the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, died on June 27 while serving as part of the minister’s medical team.
Yusuf said it was unfortunate that the body had remained in police custody for nearly three weeks despite the family’s compliance with due process.
“It is regrettable that, having followed all necessary procedures by the family as required by the Nigerian Police to retrieve the body to give her a befitting burial, having stayed long in that process,” he said.
“Unfortunately, her body is yet to be released to the family, which is unfortunate.”
He explained that the briefing was also aimed at correcting what he described as misinformation about Habila’s identity and profession.
According to him, the deceased was a trained nurse, not a physiotherapist as previously reported.
Yusuf added that Habila had earlier worked at the David Umahi University of Health Sciences before being deployed to the office of the minister, where she served as a civil servant for about three years.
He said documents such as her appointment letter and salary records подтверждают her employment status.
The lawyer argued that there was no legal basis for the continued retention of the body and alleged that some individuals were attempting to politicise the circumstances surrounding her death.
He added that the family had formally petitioned the IGP against the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, seeking urgent intervention for the release of the remains.
Yusuf also confirmed that the family had repeatedly rejected calls for an autopsy, citing personal, cultural and traditional reasons.
“We are here to also ascertain the fact that the Minister has requested time without number for the autopsy of late Mary Habila, but the family has resolved and are determined and standing their ground not to allow it because of some personal, cultural and traditional reasons,” he said.
“It is at this point that we want to make clear to the world that Mary Habila has never been a runs girl or whatever, and she has been in Abuja working with the minister before her eventful death, and this is the truth.”
Also speaking, the deceased’s father, Tanko Habila, made an emotional appeal for the release of his daughter’s remains.
“I don’t have much to talk in this case; all I want is the corpse of my daughter,” he said.
“We don’t keep corpse of little children for so long like this. So, that is why I am here again to say this once and for all, I need the corpse of my daughter to take her for burial, that is what I am standing on.”
He stressed that the family was not accusing anyone in connection with her death and noted that they had maintained a cordial relationship with her workplace prior to the incident.
Anita Baaki, a colleague of the deceased, also described the death as shocking and clarified that she was the physiotherapist, while Habila was the nurse.
The disagreement between the family and authorities centres on the demand for an autopsy.
While the family opposes the procedure on personal and cultural grounds and insists it has met all conditions for the release of the body, the Ebonyi State Police Command and the minister maintain that a post-mortem examination is necessary to determine the exact cause of death.
Umahi has stated that the body should not be released until an autopsy is conducted.
