A fresh controversy has erupted over the death of Miss Mary Habila, a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences (DUFMS), as the legal team of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, and the Ebonyi State Police Command insisted on conducting an autopsy, while her family rejected the move and demanded the immediate release of her body for burial.
Umahi’s solicitors, in a letter dated July 15 and addressed to the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, urged the police to carry out a comprehensive forensic autopsy before releasing Habila’s remains.
The lawyers said the request was made in the interest of justice, transparency and proper criminal investigation.
According to them, Habila died on June 27, 2026, in a staff building located within the Minister’s residence in Umunaga, Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
They explained that the building was reserved for staff attached to the Minister and other personnel, stressing that the deceased did not live in the same building as Umahi.
The legal team added that Habila and another female staff member, identified as a physiotherapist, were the only occupants of the building on the night she died.
To dispel speculation surrounding the incident, the lawyers urged the police to engage qualified forensic pathologists to determine the exact cause of death.
They also requested that the body should not be released to any person, including the deceased’s next of kin, until the autopsy and all investigative procedures had been completed.
Meanwhile, the Ebonyi State Police Command has also insisted that a post-mortem examination is necessary to establish the actual cause of death.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, said the Command received a distress report from the Divisional Police Officer in Ohaozara after Habila was rushed to the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, where doctors confirmed she was brought in dead.
Following the report, the Commissioner of Police directed that the matter be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for a full-scale investigation.
According to the police, preliminary findings showed that Habila and a colleague were members of the medical team attached to the Minister and had travelled with him to his hometown in Uburu before the incident occurred.
The Command said detectives had visited the scene, taken statements from relevant witnesses and were preparing to engage a pathologist to conduct an autopsy to aid investigations.
However, the deceased’s family has rejected the proposed post-mortem examination.
In an affidavit filed before the High Court, Habila’s father, Mr. Tanko Habila Wisdom, said although the family appreciated efforts to determine the cause of her death, they would not consent to an autopsy.
He maintained that the family wanted her body released immediately for burial, insisting they did not suspect any foul play.
Wisdom also stated that the family would neither pursue further police investigations nor honour future invitations from the police or the court over the matter.
The police, however, assured the public that investigations would be thorough, transparent and impartial, promising to provide updates as the probe progresses.
