Pictures: Mary Habila Quietly Buried Amidst Unresolved Autopsy Dispute

Mary Habila, the young lady who died at the residence of Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has been buried.

Naija News reports that the development comes amidst an unresolved dispute over whether her remains should undergo an autopsy.

According to Sahara Reporters, Habila was quietly buried on Friday, August 21, 2026, nearly two months after her death

Her death on June 27 at Umahi’s residence in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has generated sustained public concern, conflicting accounts and a legal battle involving the minister, the deceased’s family, security authorities and the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU).

The burial came after Habila’s father, Tanko Habila Wisdom, filed an affidavit withdrawing from the legal proceedings and opposing the proposed autopsy.

The development removed the family’s support for the examination, despite earlier efforts by the police to have a forensic autopsy conducted.

The Ebonyi State Police Command initially insisted that a forensic autopsy was necessary before Habila’s body could be released for burial.

The position was reportedly supported by legal advice from the Ebonyi State Director of Public Prosecutions, J.U. Chukwu.

The DPP said available evidence indicated that Habila had “lain lifeless on the floor of her apartment naked with blood stains on her nose and mouth”, and stated that a post-mortem examination could provide crucial evidence to determine the cause of her sudden and unexplained death.

The DPP, however, reportedly advised that the police had the discretion to either proceed with the examination or honour the family’s wishes.

The disagreement over the autopsy led to the postponement of Habila’s burial.

Her family opposed the examination and sought the release of her remains for burial.

They later petitioned the police asking for the investigation to be transferred from Ebonyi State to the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja and for their daughter’s remains to be released.

Umahi has repeatedly maintained that he supports a forensic autopsy to determine the exact cause of death and has denied any wrongdoing.

However the deceased’s father withdrew from the case and opposed the autopsy.