The family of the late Mary Habila has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to direct the immediate release of her remains for burial, nearly three weeks after her death in Ebonyi State.
Addressing journalists at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Friday, the family’s lawyer, Kaile Yusuf, said Habila died on June 27 while serving as a staff member in the Office of the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi. He explained that despite meeting all police conditions for the release of the body, the family has yet to receive approval to proceed with her burial.
Yusuf also refuted reports questioning Habila’s profession and character, insisting she was a qualified nurse who previously worked at David Umahi University of Health Sciences before her deployment to the minister’s office. According to him, she remained a civil servant throughout her three years of service, with official employment records to support the claim.
The lawyer said the family had petitioned the Inspector-General against the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, requesting that the case be transferred to the Force Headquarters and that officers found to have acted improperly be sanctioned. He added that the family had declined repeated requests for an autopsy, citing cultural, traditional and personal beliefs, while maintaining that they only wished to give Habila a dignified burial.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Habila’s father, Tanko, appealed for the prompt release of his daughter’s remains, stressing that they were not accusing anyone of causing her death. A colleague of the deceased, Anita Baki, also clarified that Habila served as a nurse, while she herself was the physiotherapist, dismissing contrary claims about the late civil servant.