Family Rejects Autopsy, Seeks Immediate Release of nurse Remains

(AFRICANEXAMINER)–The family of Mary Habila, the 26-year-old nurse who died at the residence of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to order the immediate release of her body for burial.

Speaking to journalists at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Friday, the family’s lawyer, Kaile Yusuf, said they had completed all the police requirements needed to collect her body but it had remained in custody for nearly three weeks.

Habila, who worked at the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, died on June 27 while serving with the minister’s medical team.

Yusuf said the family was disappointed that the body had not been released despite following all the necessary procedures.

He also dismissed reports describing Habila as a physiotherapist, stating that she was a qualified nurse. According to him, she had previously worked at the David Umahi University of Health Sciences before being posted to the minister’s office, where she served as a civil servant for about three years.

The lawyer said the family had documents, including her appointment letter and salary records, to prove her employment.

He accused some people of trying to politicise the circumstances surrounding her death and confirmed that the family had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over the continued detention of her body.

Yusuf also said the family had repeatedly rejected requests for an autopsy because of personal, cultural and traditional beliefs.

He stressed that Habila should not be portrayed as a “runs girl,” insisting she was a dedicated nurse who had been working in Abuja before her death.

Habila’s father, Tanko Habila, made an emotional appeal, saying all he wanted was his daughter’s body so the family could give her a proper burial.

He said the family was not accusing anyone of causing her death but believed her body should no longer be kept in the mortuary.

A colleague of the deceased, Anita Baaki, also clarified that she, not Habila, was the physiotherapist, while Habila worked as a nurse.

The disagreement over an autopsy remains unresolved. While the family insists on burying Habila without a post-mortem examination, citing cultural and personal reasons, the Ebonyi State Police Command and Minister David Umahi maintain that an autopsy is necessary to determine the exact cause of her death.

Umahi has said he instructed that the body should not be released until the autopsy is carried out.