Mary Habila, the 26-year-old woman whose death at the Ebonyi State residence of Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, sparked controversy and calls 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 on June 27 at Umahi’s residence in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Her death generated public concern and conflicting accounts, with the circumstances surrounding what happened before her death remaining a subject of legal and public debate.
The controversy was further heightened by reports of photographs allegedly showing blood around Habila’s nose and mouth.
Police and medical sources cited in media reports also claimed the deceased showed signs consistent with blunt force trauma. However, these allegations have not been independently established, while Umahi has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Dispute Over Autopsy
The Ebonyi State Police Command had initially maintained that a forensic autopsy was necessary to establish the cause of Habila’s sudden death.
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. Habila’s remains were subsequently moved to the National Hospital, Abuja.
The proposed forensic examination, however, did not result in a publicly disclosed autopsy report before her burial.
The matter also became the subject of a legal battle after the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) filed a ₦20 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Kaduna State High Court, seeking a fresh investigation and an independent forensic examination.
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The organisation had called for a team of pathologists from institutions including Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and the National Hospital, Abuja, to conduct the examination.
Father Withdraws Support for Autopsy
Habila’s father, Tanko Habila Wisdom, later filed an affidavit withdrawing from the legal proceedings and opposing the proposed autopsy.
His withdrawal effectively removed the family’s support for the forensic examination, despite earlier moves by the police to have one conducted.
Umahi has maintained that he had no involvement in Habila’s death and has supported efforts to determine the exact cause of her death through forensic investigation.
Questions Remain
With Habila now laid to rest, questions surrounding the circumstances of her death remain publicly unresolved.
No publicly disclosed forensic report has established the precise cause of death, while conflicting accounts surrounding her final moments continue to generate public interest.
It remains unclear whether outstanding investigations or legal proceedings will continue and whether authorities will eventually release findings that could provide clarity on the circumstances surrounding the young woman’s death.
The case has continued to attract attention, particularly over calls for transparency and an independent determination of what happened before Habila died.
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