Family Petitions IGP Over Withheld Corpse of Umahi’s Staff, Mary Habila

The family of the late Mary Habila has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, over the continued retention of her body by the Ebonyi State Police Command, asking that the investigation into her death be transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja and that her remains be released for burial.

The petition, dated July 17, 2026, was submitted through the family’s solicitors, K.A. Yusuf & Associates, days after Habila’s father swore an affidavit opposing an autopsy and requesting that no further investigation be conducted.

In the petition addressed to the IGP, the lawyers alleged that despite repeated applications, personal visits and compliance with all lawful requirements, the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police had continued to refuse to authorise the release of Habila’s body.

According to the petition, Mary Habila, a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences who was seconded to the Federal Ministry of Works, died on June 27, 2026, under circumstances reported to the police. Since then, her remains have allegedly remained in police custody at a designated mortuary.

The family argued that the prolonged withholding of the body has caused “immense emotional, psychological, financial and cultural hardship,” depriving them of the opportunity to perform customary and religious burial rites.

“It is my client’s respectful position that the continued detention of his daughter’s corpse without lawful justification is arbitrary, oppressive, and inconsistent with the principles of justice, fairness and respect for human dignity,” the petition stated.

The lawyers also contended that the Ebonyi State Police Command should communicate the legal basis for withholding the body and indicate a timeline for concluding its investigation “rather than keeping the remains indefinitely.”

The family asked the IGP to transfer the matter from the Ebonyi State Police Command to the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, direct the immediate release of the body for burial, investigate any officer found to have acted unlawfully and issue any other directives necessary to ensure justice.

The petition follows an affidavit sworn before the High Court of Justice of Ebonyi State on July 13, in which Habila’s father, Tanko Habila Wisdom, stated that the family did not suspect any foul play in her death and would not consent to an autopsy.

In the affidavit, he appealed to authorities to release the body for burial, stating that neither he nor his family wished to proceed with further police investigation and adding that the decision was made voluntarily and without coercion.

However, the Ebonyi State Police Command has maintained that its investigation will continue.

In a statement issued on July 15, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, said the Commissioner of Police had transferred the matter to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for a comprehensive investigation after Habila was brought dead to the David Umahi Federal Teaching Hospital, Uburu.

The command said preliminary findings indicated that Habila and a colleague were part of the medical team attached to the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and had accompanied him to his hometown in Uburu, where she died in a room within the compound of his residence.

Police said detectives had visited the scene, obtained statements from relevant persons and planned to engage a pathologist to conduct a post-mortem examination.

While acknowledging the family’s opposition to an autopsy, the command maintained that the examination remained necessary “given the sensitive nature of the case and the imperative of establishing the true cause of death.”

The latest petition therefore sets the stage for possible intervention by the Inspector-General of Police as the disagreement between the family and the Ebonyi State Police Command over the handling of the investigation continues.