Mary Habila: Fresh Details Emerge In Probe Of Woman’s Death At Umahi’s Residence

The Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice has recommended a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death of 26-year-old Mary Habila, who was found dead at the Uburu residence of the Minister of Works, David Umahi.

The recommendation was contained in a legal advice dated July 15, 2026, and addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ebonyi State Police Command.

The document, reportedly obtained by SaharaReporters, followed a police investigation into Habila’s sudden death at the minister’s residence on June 27.

According to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the evidence available in the police case file did not sufficiently establish what caused her death.

The legal advice stated that Habila was found alone and unresponsive in her apartment, with circumstances at the scene raising questions that investigators could not resolve without a medical examination.

The DPP said investigators found no indication that Habila had been ill or medically unstable before her death.

“There was no evidence that the deceased was indisposed, sick or unstable health-wise prior to her sudden death, as she was full of life at the time she returned to Uburu in company of her team,” the document stated.

According to the legal advice, the absence of a known medical condition made it necessary to scientifically establish the cause of death.

“From the foregoing, therefore, the question that would readily come to mind is what exactly caused the deceased’s sudden death?” the DPP asked.

The ministry maintained that a post-mortem examination was the most appropriate way to provide investigators with a clear direction.

“This curiosity under the law can only be resolved through a post-mortem examination, so as to provide a clue to the police as to the direction of their investigation,” the legal advice added.

The Ministry of Justice said the police could either respect the family’s reported request to proceed with burial without an autopsy or exercise their statutory powers to order the examination.

“It is therefore the view of this office that the police invoke their discretionary power to either respect the request of the deceased’s family or proceed with the post-mortem examination,” the DPP stated.

The advice came amid growing public scrutiny and conflicting reports over whether Habila’s body would be released to her family for burial.

Her father, Baba Habila, had reportedly visited a morgue in Ebonyi to receive the body ahead of a planned burial in Nok, Kaduna State, but declined to speak to journalists.

The family was said to have indicated that it did not intend to request an autopsy.

However, the body had reportedly not been released as investigators continued to consider the recommendation of the Ministry of Justice.

Habila reportedly arrived at Umahi’s residence on June 26 alongside another woman identified as Anita Baski.

She was found unresponsive the following morning.

The incident was initially reported at the Ohaozara Divisional Police Headquarters before the investigation was transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department.

Umahi subsequently confirmed that Habila died at his residence.

The minister described her as a physiotherapist seconded from the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences to the Federal Ministry of Works.

He also said he had encouraged the family to consent to an autopsy to establish the cause of death.

However, SaharaReporters quoted unnamed police sources as questioning aspects of the employment account and alleging that investigators were examining the relationship between Habila, the university and the ministry.