Tanko Habila, the father of the late 26-year-old nurse Mary Habila, has asked an Ebonyi State court to stop the police investigation into his daughter’s death.
Mary tragically passed away at the country home of the Minister of Works, David Umahi.
In a court affidavit filed on July 13, her father stated the family does not suspect any foul play and has refused to consent to an autopsy.
“While I welcome steps being taken to unravel the cause of my daughter’s death, my family and I will not accept any autopsy,” the affidavit stated.
Habila worked at the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences before she was seconded to the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja, where she served as a personal nurse to Umahi and his immediate staff for about three years.
She died on June 27, 2026, in Uburu, in the Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state, after travelling with the minister to his hometown.
Despite Works Minister David Umahi’s call for an autopsy to determine the cause of death, the family has firmly declined the procedure.
In his filing, her father, Tanko Habila, explicitly requested that medical and investigative authorities leave his daughter’s body and organs untouched.
He urged the police to halt the investigation and immediately release her remains so the family could proceed with the burial.
“I also wish not to proceed further with the investigation and further request to have my daughter’s body released to me for burial,” the affidavit stated.
He added that the family would not honour any further police or court invitation on the matter, insisting they did not suspect foul play.
He said the decision was voluntary, made without pressure or inducement from anyone, and asked that her body be released without further delay.
“While reiterating our request for the Nigerian Police to release my daughter’s corpse for burial, I wish to state that I was never induced, coerced or influenced in any way with anything or by anybody to make these depositions, as everything deposed here reflects the sincere wishes of my family and I,” he said.
Despite the family’s position, the Ebonyi State Police Command said the investigation would continue.
The command’s spokesperson, Joshua Ukandu, said detectives received a distress call on the day Habila died, reporting a medical emergency at the David Umahi Federal Teaching Hospital in Uburu.
Ukandu said Habila had already died before she got to the hospital, prompting the state Commissioner of Police to transfer the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department for a fuller inquiry.
Police said preliminary findings showed Habila and a colleague, identified as Anita Baaki, were both part of the minister’s medical team and had accompanied him to Uburu before her death.
“The examination remains necessary given the sensitive nature of the case and the imperative of establishing the true cause of death,” the command said.
Although detectives have already processed the scene and gathered statements, the police command confirmed they were still arranging for a pathologist to conduct the autopsy.
Authorities emphasized that the presence of the family or their representative is essential to the process, promising a transparent, impartial investigation with updates as new details emerge.
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