Mary Habila, the young woman whose death at the residence of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, sparked controversy and calls for further investigation, has been laid to rest.
Habila was quietly buried on Friday, August 21, 2026, nearly two months after she died on June 27 at Umahi’s residence in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Her death had triggered sustained public attention, with conflicting accounts emerging over the circumstances surrounding the incident and a disagreement over whether a forensic autopsy should be conducted before her remains were released for burial.
The matter also led to legal action involving Umahi, members of Habila’s family, security authorities and the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union.
The burial followed a decision by Habila’s father, Tanko Habila Wisdom, to withdraw from the legal proceedings and oppose the proposed autopsy.
His withdrawal effectively ended the family’s support for the examination, despite earlier moves by the police to conduct a forensic investigation into the cause of her death.
The Ebonyi State Police Command had initially maintained that a forensic autopsy was necessary before Habila’s remains could be released to her family.
The position was reportedly backed by legal advice from the Ebonyi State Director of Public Prosecutions, J.U. Chukwu.
In the legal advice, the DPP said the available evidence indicated that Habila had “lain lifeless on the floor of her apartment naked with blood stains on her nose and mouth”.
The DPP stated that a post-mortem examination could provide important evidence in determining the cause of her sudden and unexplained death.
However, the legal advice reportedly left the final decision to the police, giving the authorities the discretion to either proceed with the autopsy or respect the wishes of the deceased’s family.
The disagreement over the proposed examination had earlier delayed Habila’s burial, as her family opposed the autopsy and demanded the release of her remains.
The family subsequently petitioned the police, seeking the transfer of the investigation from Ebonyi State to the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, while also asking that her body be released for burial.
Umahi has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has maintained that he supports a forensic autopsy to establish the exact cause of Habila’s death.
However, with her father withdrawing from the legal proceedings and opposing the examination, Habila was eventually buried while the controversy surrounding the proposed autopsy remained unresolved.
