This is the first time the family would speak on the cause of death amid autopsy dispute
The family of Mary Habila, a female nurse who died at the residence of the Minister of Works, David Umahi in Ebonyi State, has finally revealed her cause of death.
Ms Habila was buried at her home town in Nok, Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Friday 21 August.
Before now, many Nigerians had suggested that Ms Habila’s death was unnatural given the circumstances surrounding it.
This prompted calls from many Nigerians for an autopsy which was rejected by the family.
This made it impossible to determine the actual cause of death.
But in their first public comment on the cause of death, the family said in a tribute published in her burial brochure that Ms Habila was earlier diagnosed with a hole in her heart and had battled heart-related challenges.
“Mary Habila lived with a heart condition, having been diagnosed with a hole in her heart. Though she faced significant health challenges, she carried herself with courage, faith, and quiet resilience,” the family said in the tribute sighted by PREMIUM TIMES.
The family stressed that her “condition became critical” despite medical care, prayers and support from her relatives and loved ones.
“She sadly passed away following a cardiac arrest, leaving behind a deep void in the hearts of all who knew and loved her,” they said.
The family did not mention how they arrived at the conclusion that the female nurse died of cardiac arrest.
There are reports that the corpse was buried without an autopsy.
But PREMIUM TIMES could not independently very the claim.
Mr Habila’s burial came weeks after dispute over autopsy and outrage over controversies surrounding her death at Mr Umahi’s residence.
Her death at the minister’s residence on 27 June only became public in July – about two weeks later- which then triggered concerns and outrage.
Many Nigerians had called for Mr Umahi’s resignation from office following the controversy. The minister has repeatedly denied involvement in the death of the female nurse.
Following calls by many Nigerians for an autopsy on the body to establish the cause of death, Mr Umahi asked the police to conduct the autopsy.
The family opposed the autopsy and initially fixed the burial date for 17 July, but the police insisted on going ahead with the autopsy.
The minister further appealed to Ms Habila’s family to reconsider their insistence on shunning autopsy on the late nurse’s body, stressing that .. mortem examination would help establish the actual cause of her death amid mounting allegations of foul play.
But the family subsequently wrote to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, demanding the immediate release of Ms Habila’s body for burial.
They later postponed the burial due to the controversy.
Recently, a civil society organisation, the Kwechiri Unity Forum, filed a lawsuit against Mr Umahi and IGP alongside others over the death of Ms Habila.
