Nearly two months have passed since 26-year-old Mary Habila died under circumstances that triggered national questions, police investigations, demands for an autopsy and eventually court action. Yet one of the most basic questions surrounding the case remains unanswered publicly: what caused Mary Habila’s death?
Habila died on June 27, 2026, after being found unresponsive in a staff chalet within the country-home compound of Minister of Works David Umahi in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Police subsequently announced an investigation and said a post-mortem examination was essential to determine the cause of death.
Weeks later, however, no autopsy result has been publicly announced. Newspot Nigeria’s review of publicly available reports as of August 21 also found no police announcement of an arrest, identification of a suspect or final investigative finding in connection with Habila’s death.
That does not establish that a crime occurred or that anyone connected with the residence was responsible for Habila’s death. There has been no such official finding. But the absence of a publicly disclosed conclusion raises a different question: what has become of the investigation the police promised would be thorough, transparent and impartial?
June 24 — Habila Travels to Ebonyi
According to a sworn account by her colleague Anita Baaki, Habila travelled with Baaki and other ministry personnel from Abuja to Ebonyi State on June 24 for official duties connected with the Minister of Works.
Baaki said the staff members stayed in separate but adjoining rooms in a staff chalet within Umahi’s country-home compound in Uburu. She stressed that the chalet accommodated staff and associates and was separate from the minister’s personal living quarters.
June 26 — The Last Reported Sighting
Baaki said Habila returned after having her hair done on the evening of June 26 and visited her room. The two women talked before Habila said she was tired and planned to shower and sleep.
According to Baaki’s sworn account, that was the last time she saw Habila alive.
June 27 — Habila Is Found Unresponsive
The following morning, Baaki reportedly became concerned when Habila did not emerge from her room and failed to answer telephone calls or knocks on her door. After efforts to locate her elsewhere failed, the room was forced open.
Habila was found unresponsive on the floor and taken to the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, where medical personnel confirmed that she had been brought in dead. Police said the Ohaozara Divisional Police Officer received a distress call concerning a medical emergency and went to the hospital.
The Commissioner of Police subsequently ordered that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for investigation.
Police Process the Scene
The Ebonyi State Police Command later said investigators had processed the location where Habila was found and obtained statements from witnesses and other relevant persons.
The command also said the sensitive circumstances of the death made a post-mortem examination necessary to scientifically establish its cause. Police announced plans to engage a pathologist and promised that the investigation would be thorough, transparent and impartial.
Those assurances were significant because determining a cause of death could establish whether Habila died naturally, accidentally or under circumstances requiring a criminal investigation.
July 15 — Umahi Demands an Autopsy
The controversy intensified when Umahi, through his lawyers, formally requested that police conduct a forensic autopsy before Habila’s remains were released for burial.
In the July 15 letter, the minister’s lawyers argued that a comprehensive forensic examination was necessary to determine the cause and circumstances of the death, preserve the integrity of the investigation and eliminate speculation.
Umahi has denied wrongdoing and has maintained that Habila’s death should be properly investigated.
July 16-17 — Habila’s Family Rejects Autopsy
Then came an unusual disagreement.
Habila’s father, Tanko Habila, said the family did not want an autopsy and asked that his daughter’s remains be released intact for burial. In an affidavit, he said the family no longer wished to pursue the investigation and appealed for the body to be released.
The family’s lawyer subsequently petitioned Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu, arguing that the family had complied with police requirements but still had not received Habila’s remains.
The family cited personal, cultural and traditional considerations for rejecting the autopsy.
Police, however, maintained that an autopsy was essential because of the circumstances surrounding the death.
July 20 — The Matter Goes to Court
The controversy moved beyond the family when the Kwechiri Unity Forum filed a lawsuit naming Umahi, the Inspector-General of Police, the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Habila’s father as defendants.
The litigation demonstrated that questions surrounding Habila’s death had become a broader public-interest issue rather than remaining solely a disagreement between the family and investigators.
July 27 — SOKAPU Demands Investigation
The Southern Kaduna Peoples United Associations also entered the controversy, insisting that the circumstances should be investigated and supporting an autopsy.
Its president, Samuel Tabara, said he was unaware of any Southern Kaduna cultural prohibition against autopsies. Importantly, he stopped short of accusing Umahi of responsibility, saying an investigation was precisely what was required to determine whether there was evidence justifying further legal action.
That remains an important distinction. Calls for an investigation are not evidence of guilt, and no person should be treated as responsible for Habila’s death without evidence and due process.
August 3 — Falana Warns Against Sweeping Case Under Carpet
Human-rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, then called on the Inspector-General of Police to take over the investigation.
Falana argued that suspicious deaths must be investigated regardless of a family’s position and called for an autopsy without further delay. He said Habila’s case should not be allowed to disappear without answers.
By this point, more than a month had passed since Habila’s death.
August 17 — Controversy Shifts to Alleged Threats
The latest significant public development located by Newspot Nigeria concerns not the cause of Habila’s death but the growing dispute surrounding the case.
SOKAPU petitioned the Department of State Services, alleging that Umahi threatened its national president after the organization instituted legal proceedings concerning Habila’s death.
Credit: Newspot Nigeria
