Mary Habila’s Family Demands Release of Body, Rejects False Claims She Was a Physiotherapist

By Arit Mbeh

The family of the late Mary Habila has appealed to the Nigeria Police Force to release her remains for burial, while also correcting what they described as misinformation regarding her profession.

Mary Habila, a nurse, died on June 27, 2026, in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, at a residence belonging to the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi.

Before her death, she was employed by the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences (DUFMS), Uburu, Ebonyi State, and had been seconded to the Minister’s office, where she served for about three years.

Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday after submitting a petition to the Inspector-General of Police at the Force Headquarters, Mary’s father, Mr. Tanko Habila, accompanied by his wife, other family members and their legal representatives, appealed for the immediate release of his daughter’s remains to enable the family to give her a befitting burial.

The family said they had been unable to bury Mary nearly two weeks after her death because the authorities had continued to retain her body.

Addressing journalists, Mr. Habila stressed that the family was neither seeking an autopsy nor accusing anyone of wrongdoing over their daughter’s death.

“As we are standing here, somebody can fall and die. It has happened. All we want is her body to be buried,” he said.

He added: “I am demanding the corpse of my daughter to go and bury her now. We don’t want that autopsy that they are talking about, and I am not suspecting anybody because death can occur. Even as we are standing here, one can fall here now and die.”

Mr. Habila noted that the family maintained a close relationship with Mary before her death and urged the police to respect their wish to lay her to rest peacefully.

Speaking on behalf of the family, their lawyer, Kaile Adamu Yusuf, explained that the family’s decision to oppose an autopsy was based on their cultural and religious beliefs.

Yusuf also dismissed reports describing the deceased as a physiotherapist, clarifying that Mary Habila was a qualified nurse employed by the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, before she was seconded to the office of the Minister of Works, where she had worked for about three years.

He further stated that the family had complied with all procedures required by the Nigerian Police in Ebonyi State to retrieve the body but had yet to receive it.

“It is regrettable that, having followed all the necessary procedures required by the Nigerian Police in Ebonyi State to retrieve the body and give her a befitting burial, her remains are yet to be released to the family,” Yusuf said.

The family appealed to the police authorities to expedite the release of Mary Habila’s remains, insisting that they only seek the opportunity to bury their daughter in accordance with their religious and cultural traditions.