Mary Habila has never been ‘a runs girl,’ family defends dead nurse

The family of Mary Habila, a 26-year-old nurse who died on June 27, has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to intervene and direct the immediate release of her body for burial.

This is as the family said Mary “has never been a runs girl or whatever…”

The appeal was made on Friday at the Force Headquarters in Abuja by the family’s lawyer, Kaile Yusuf, during a press briefing aired in a video posted by Channels Television.

PUNCH Online reports that Habila’s death sparked controversy after the body of the nurse, who was attached to the office of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, was reportedly found at the minister’s country home in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Yusuf said the family had fulfilled all police requirements for the release of the remains, but the body had remained in official custody for nearly three weeks after her death.

He said the family had complied with all procedures required by the police for the release of the body but had yet to receive approval to proceed with burial arrangements.

“It is regrettable that, having followed all necessary procedures by the family as required by the Nigerian Police to retrieve the body to give her a befitting burial, having stayed long in that process.

“Unfortunately, her body is yet to be released to the family, which is unfortunate,” Yusuf said.

The lawyer said the briefing was also meant to address what he described as misinformation about the deceased’s identity and profession.

According to him, Habila was a trained nurse, not a physiotherapist as reported in some quarters.

He said she previously worked at the David Umahi University of Health Sciences before she was deployed to the office of the Minister of Works, where she served for about three years as a civil servant.

Yusuf said documentary evidence, including her appointment letter and salary records, confirmed her employment.

He argued that there was no justification for the continued retention of the body and alleged that some individuals were attempting to politicise the circumstances surrounding her death.

The lawyer disclosed that the family had petitioned the IG against the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, seeking intervention to secure the immediate release of Habila’s remains.

“And having not been given the body of Mary Habila in Ebonyi State, the family instructed me to write a petition against the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State to the Inspector-General of Police for her body to be released,” he said.

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Yusuf also revealed that the family had consistently rejected requests for an autopsy on personal, cultural and traditional grounds.

“We are here to also ascertain the fact that the Minister has requested time without number for the autopsy of late Mary Habila, but the family has resolved and are determined and standing their ground not to allow it because of some personal, cultural and traditional reasons.”

He dismissed allegations about the deceased’s character, insisting they were false and irrelevant to the family’s demand for the release of her body.

“It is at this point that we want to make clear to the world that Mary Habila has never been a runs girl or whatever, and she has been in Abuja working with the minister before her eventful death, and this is the truth,” he said.

Speaking at the briefing, Habila’s father, Tanko Habila, made an emotional appeal for the release of his daughter’s remains.

“I don’t have much to talk in this case; all I want is the corpse of my daughter. We don’t keep corpse of little children for so long like this. So, that is why I am here again to say this once and for all, I need the corpse of my daughter to take her for burial, that is what I am standing on,” he said.

He stressed that the family was not accusing anyone over her death and maintained that it had enjoyed a cordial relationship with her workplace before the incident.

Also speaking, Habila’s colleague, Anita Baaki, said the deceased’s death came as a shock.

She clarified that she, Baaki, was the physiotherapist, while Habila served as a nurse.

Habila was found dead on June 27 at a staff chalet within the Minister of Works’ country home in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

The family and the police have remained at odds over whether an autopsy should be conducted before the body is released.

While the family insists it has met all conditions for the release of the body and opposes an autopsy on personal, cultural and traditional grounds, the Ebonyi State Police Command and Umahi have maintained that a post-mortem examination is necessary to establish the exact cause of death.

The police have said the autopsy is essential because of the sensitive nature of the case and have maintained that the investigation will continue until the cause of death is determined.

Umahi has also repeatedly urged the family to allow the procedure, saying he directed that the body should not be released until an autopsy is conducted.