The family of 26-year-old nurse Mary Habila has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to direct the immediate release of her body so she can be buried.
The family also dismissed claims made about Habila’s character and profession. They insisted she was a qualified nurse and a civil servant who worked in the office of the Minister of Works, David Umahi.
The appeal was made on Friday at the Force Headquarters in Abuja during a press briefing led by the family’s lawyer, Kaile Yusuf. Family members and some of Habila’s colleagues were also present.
Habila’s death attracted public attention after she was reportedly found dead on June 27 inside a staff chalet located at the minister’s country home in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Speaking during the briefing, Yusuf said the family had completed every requirement requested by the police to collect Habila’s body. However, nearly three weeks after her death, the remains had still not been released.
He said the delay had increased the family’s grief and prevented them from carrying out her burial.
He said, “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.
“Unfortunately, her body is yet to be released to the family, which is unfortunate.”
The lawyer argued that there was no reason to continue keeping the body after the family had fulfilled all the necessary conditions.
Yusuf revealed that the family had submitted a petition to the Inspector-General of Police against the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police over the continued refusal to release Habila’s remains.
“And having not been given the body of Mary Habila in Ebonyi State, the family instructed me to write a petition against the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State to the Inspector-General of Police for her body to be released,” he said.
He appealed to the police to act quickly so the family could proceed with the funeral.
Yusuf also addressed reports questioning Habila’s profession. He stated that she was a trained nurse and not a physiotherapist, contrary to some reports.
According to him, Habila previously worked at the David Umahi University of Health Sciences before she was transferred to the office of the Minister of Works, where she served as a civil servant for about three years.
He added that her appointment letter, salary records and other official documents could confirm both her employment and professional qualifications.
The lawyer also disclosed that the family had consistently refused requests for an autopsy because of their personal, cultural and traditional beliefs.
“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.
Earlier, the Ebonyi State Police Command had maintained that carrying out an autopsy was necessary to determine the cause of Habila’s death and support its investigation.
Yusuf also rejected allegations made about the late nurse’s character, describing them as false and unrelated to the family’s request for the release of her body.
Yusuf 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.
“She has been in Abuja working with the minister before her eventful death, and this is the truth.”
He further accused some unnamed persons of trying to turn the incident into a political issue.
Habila’s father, Tanko Habila, made an emotional appeal to the police, asking them to release his daughter’s body without further delay.
He said, “I don’t have much to talk about in this case; all I want is the corpse of my daughter.
“We don’t keep the 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 explained that the family was not accusing anyone of being responsible for his daughter’s death and said they had always maintained a good relationship with her workplace before the incident.
One of Habila’s colleagues, Anita Baaki, described the death as heartbreaking. She also clarified that she was the physiotherapist on the team, while Mary Habila served as a nurse.
Habila was reportedly found dead on June 27 inside a staff chalet at the country home of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, in Uburu, Ebonyi State.
