Mary Habila, the 26-year-old woman whose death at the Ebonyi State residence of Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, sparked controversy and demands for an independent forensic investigation, has been buried in Nok, Kaduna State.
Habila was buried quietly on Friday, August 21, 2026, nearly two months after her death and amid an unresolved dispute over whether her remains should undergo an autopsy.
Her death on June 27 at Umahi’s residence in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has generated sustained public concern, conflicting accounts and a legal battle involving the minister, the deceased’s family, security authorities and the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU).
The circumstances surrounding her death have also prompted calls from civil society groups and members of the public for an independent forensic examination to establish what happened before she died.
The burial came after Habila’s father, Tanko Habila Wisdom, filed an affidavit withdrawing from the legal proceedings and opposing the proposed autopsy.
The development effectively removed the family’s support for the examination, despite earlier efforts by the police to have a forensic autopsy conducted.
How the controversy began
Habila died at Umahi’s residence on June 27, 2026. Umahi subsequently confirmed that the young woman died at his home but maintained that there was no wrongdoing on his part.
The minister initially described Habila as a physiotherapist who had been seconded from the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences to work with the Federal Ministry of Works.
However, SaharaReporters later reported that Habila was a Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW), after the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy said her name was not listed on its register of licensed physiotherapists.
The circumstances surrounding her death became more controversial after photographs purportedly showing blood around her nose and mouth circulated publicly.
Police sources and medical sources subsequently told SaharaReporters that Habila had signs consistent with blunt force trauma after her death.
One source told SaharaReporters: “The deceased bore signs of blunt force trauma after her death.”
SaharaReporters also reported, citing sources, that Habila was bleeding from her nose and mouth when she was taken from Umahi’s residence.
The sources further alleged that Umahi left the residence shortly after Habila died, leaving the matter to be handled by his aide and former Aide-de-Camp, Jonathan Bawado.
The allegations have not been independently established, and Umahi has consistently denied wrongdoing.
Police sought forensic autopsy
The Ebonyi State Police Command initially insisted that a forensic autopsy was necessary before Habila’s body could be released for burial.
The position was reportedly supported by legal advice from the Ebonyi State Director of Public Prosecutions, J.U. Chukwu.
The DPP said available evidence indicated that Habila had “laid lifeless on the floor of her apartment naked with blood stain on her nose and mouth”, and stated that a post-mortem examination could provide crucial evidence to determine the cause of her sudden and unexplained death.
The DPP, however, reportedly advised that the police retained the discretion either to proceed with the examination or honour the family’s wishes.
The disagreement over the autopsy led to the postponement of Habila’s burial.
Her family initially opposed the examination and sought the release of her remains for burial. The family later agreed to an autopsy on the condition that the investigation be transferred from Ebonyi State to the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The police subsequently took over the investigation, and Habila’s remains were transferred to the National Hospital, Abuja, where a forensic examination was expected to take place.
Legal battle over Habila’s death
The controversy also escalated into a legal battle after SOKAPU filed a ₦20 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit over Habila’s death.
The suit, marked KDH/KAF/26/2026, was filed at the Kaduna State High Court and named Umahi, the Attorney-General of Ebonyi State, the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police and Habila’s father as defendants.
SOKAPU described Habila’s death as “unexplained, controversial and unnatural” and asked the court to order a fresh police investigation and an independent forensic autopsy.
The organisation also sought an order compelling the police to complete a comprehensive investigation before Habila’s remains were released for burial.
SOKAPU proposed that an independent team of pathologists from Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, and the National Hospital, Abuja, conduct the examination.
The group argued that Umahi owed Habila a duty of care while she was under his custody and supervision.
The case also generated allegations of intimidation. SOKAPU president Samuel Tabara Kato alleged that Umahi called him on WhatsApp after learning about the lawsuit and threatened to take legal action against him.
Kato alleged that the minister told him: “I am David Umahi, the Honourable Minister of Works. I saw your suit against me, you need money right? I will teach you a lesson of your life such that you will learn never to mess with person like me. I will give you 10 lawsuits. People are mourning and there you are taking me to court. I will deal with you!”
SOKAPU subsequently alleged that a message from a phone number belonging to Umahi also warned Kato about the lawsuit.
Umahi says Tinubu rejected calls for his removal
Amid the controversy, Umahi said some people had called for President Bola Tinubu to remove him from office over Habila’s death.
In a statement that circulated on social media and was reported by SaharaReporters on August 3, the minister said Tinubu instead encouraged him to continue his work.
Umahi said, “They said the President should sack me. Why should he sack me? For doing what? Because somebody working with me died, then I must be sacked?”
“But the President surprised all of them. He told me, ‘Dave, go and build more roads,’” he added.
Umahi said the death of Habila, whom he described as one of his best workers, had also affected his decision not to celebrate his birthday.
He accused some people of attempting to exploit the incident for political purposes and maintained that he had no involvement in Habila’s death.
“My prayer is that if any member of my family or I had any hand in it, let our own fate be worse,” he said.
Dispute over proposed autopsy
Although Habila’s family initially resisted the autopsy, the family later agreed to the examination subject to conditions concerning who would handle the investigation.
The subsequent transfer of the case to Abuja raised expectations that an independent forensic examination would finally resolve questions about the cause of death.
However, the dispute continued, with SaharaReporters reporting allegations of disagreements among lawyers representing the parties and concerns over the proposed conduct of the examination.
In a July 17 letter, Umahi’s counsel, Roy O. Nweze (SAN), reportedly asked Habila’s father to confirm whether he consented to an autopsy.
The father’s lawyer subsequently informed the Inspector-General of Police that his client agreed to the examination provided the investigation was transferred to Force Headquarters in Abuja.
Habila’s remains were later reportedly moved to Abuja and deposited at the National Hospital.
Despite the controversy, the planned forensic examination did not result in a publicly disclosed autopsy report before her burial.
Burial renews questions
Habila’s quiet burial in Nok on Friday has now brought the prolonged dispute to another stage, but key questions surrounding her death remain publicly unresolved.
No publicly disclosed forensic report has established the precise cause of her death, while the conflicting accounts and allegations surrounding the circumstances at Umahi’s residence have continued to generate public interest.
Umahi has repeatedly maintained that he supports a forensic autopsy to determine the exact cause of death and has denied any wrongdoing.
The deceased’s father, meanwhile, subsequently withdrew from the case and opposed the autopsy.
With Habila now buried, questions remain over whether any outstanding investigative or legal processes will continue and whether authorities will publicly release findings capable of resolving the concerns raised over her death.
(SaharaReporters)