FAMILY SEEKS RELEASE OF MARY HABILA’S BODY FOR BURIAL

The family also dismissed allegations surrounding her character, insisting that “Mary Habila has never been a runs girl or whatever…”

The appeal was made on Friday at the Force Headquarters in Abuja during a press briefing addressed by the family’s lawyer, Kaile Yusuf.

Mary Habila, who served as a nurse attached to the Office of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, was found dead on June 27 at a staff chalet within the minister’s country home in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Since then, the circumstances surrounding her death have generated public attention.

Addressing journalists, Yusuf said the family had complied with every requirement set by the police for the release of Habila’s remains but was yet to receive approval to bury her.

“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,” Yusuf said.

Yusuf also sought to correct what he described as misleading reports about the deceased’s profession. He clarified that Habila was a qualified nurse, not a physiotherapist, and had previously worked at the David Umahi University of Health Sciences before being posted to the Office of the Minister of Works, where she served as a civil servant for about three years.

He said official records, including her appointment letter and salary documents, confirmed her employment, adding that there was no legal basis for withholding her remains while some individuals were allegedly attempting to politicise the incident.

The lawyer further disclosed that the family had consistently declined requests for an autopsy, citing 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 also rejected allegations questioning Habila’s character.

“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, and she has been in Abuja working with the minister before her eventful death, and this is the truth,” Yusuf said.

Speaking emotionally during the briefing, Habila’s father, Tanko Habila, appealed to the authorities to allow the family bury their daughter.

“I don’t have much to talk in this case; all I want is the corpse of my daughter. We don’t keep 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 said.

He stressed that the family was not accusing anyone of causing Mary’s death and maintained that they had always enjoyed a cordial relationship with her workplace before the incident.

Also speaking, one of Habila’s colleagues, Anita Baaki, clarified that she was the physiotherapist, while the deceased worked as a nurse.

The family’s demand for the release of the body remains at the centre of a disagreement with the Ebonyi State Police Command and the Minister of Works.

While the family insists it has fulfilled all conditions required for the release of the remains and continues to oppose an autopsy on personal, cultural and traditional grounds, both the police and Umahi have maintained that a post-mortem examination is necessary to determine the exact cause of Habila’s death.

The police have argued that, given the sensitive nature of the case, investigations will continue until the cause of death is conclusively established, while the Minister of Works has repeatedly urged the family to consent to an autopsy, insisting that the body should not be released until the procedure is carried out.