The family of the late Mary Habila has formally petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, over the continued retention of her body by the Ebonyi State Police Command, requesting that the investigation into her death be transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja and that her remains be released immediately for burial.
The petition, dated July 17, 2026, was submitted through the family’s legal representatives, K.A. Yusuf & Associates, just days after Mary Habila’s father filed an affidavit before the Ebonyi State High Court opposing an autopsy and urging authorities to discontinue further investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
According to the petition, despite several formal applications, personal visits and compliance with all legal procedures, the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police has allegedly declined to authorize the release of Habila’s body.
Mary Habila, a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences who had been seconded to the Federal Ministry of Works, reportedly died on June 27, 2026, under circumstances that were subsequently reported to the police. Since then, her remains have remained in a designated mortuary under police custody pending the conclusion of investigations.
The family argued that the prolonged detention of the body has subjected them to severe emotional, psychological, financial and cultural hardship by preventing them from carrying out traditional and religious burial rites.
In the petition, the solicitors described the continued retention of the body without what they consider lawful justification as arbitrary, oppressive and inconsistent with the principles of justice, fairness and respect for human dignity.
They also urged the police authorities to clearly communicate the legal basis for withholding the body and provide a definite timeline for completing the investigation instead of allowing the matter to remain unresolved indefinitely.
The family further requested that the Inspector-General of Police transfer the investigation 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 additional directives necessary to ensure justice.
The petition follows an affidavit sworn by Mary Habila’s father, Tanko Habila Wisdom, before the High Court of Justice in Ebonyi State on July 13, 2026. In the affidavit, he stated that the family did not suspect any foul play in his daughter’s death and would not consent to an autopsy.
He further appealed to the authorities to release the body for burial, stressing that neither he nor other family members wished to pursue further police investigation and that the decision was made voluntarily without coercion.
Despite the family’s position, the Ebonyi State Police Command has insisted that investigations will continue.
In a statement issued on July 15, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, disclosed that the Commissioner of Police had transferred the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for a comprehensive investigation after Habila was brought dead to the David Umahi Federal Teaching Hospital, Uburu.
According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that Mary Habila and a colleague were members of the medical team attached to the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and had accompanied him to his hometown in Uburu, where she reportedly died in a room within the compound of his residence.
The police said detectives have visited the scene, obtained statements from relevant individuals and are making arrangements for a pathologist to conduct a post-mortem examination.
While acknowledging the family’s objection to an autopsy, the command maintained that the examination remains necessary because of the sensitive nature of the case and the need to establish the exact cause of death through a scientific investigation.
The latest petition places the matter before the Inspector-General of Police and could determine the next phase of the investigation as the disagreement between the Habila family and the Ebonyi State Police Command over the handling of the case continues.
