Fresh details have emerged in the investigation into the death of a physiotherapist, Mary Habila, at the residence of Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi, with police sources familiar with the case disputing aspects of the minister’s public account, according to SaharaReporters.
Recall that Umahi had publicly stated that Habila was a physiotherapist attached to his residence.
However, police sources involved in the investigation told SaharaReporters which broke the story, that they did not believe the deceased woman and another woman were employees of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, as claimed by the minister.
According to the police sources, lawyers acting on behalf of the minister sought the release of Habila’s body for burial in Ebonyi State.
“Investigators however declined the request, maintaining that the death remains under active investigation and that releasing the body before the necessary forensic and investigative processes are concluded would be inappropriate given the public interest in the case,” a top source informed SaharaReporters on Monday.
Other sources said investigators had received information suggesting that members of Habila’s family were being pressured not to insist on an autopsy.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mary Habila’s death remains ongoing.
SaharaReporters had on Sunday reported that Habila was reportedly found dead at the residence of David Umahi.
According to exclusive findings by the New York-based online media on Sunday, Habila, a Physiotherapist, was reportedly found naked when her body was removed from the minister’s residence.
The minister confirmed that Mary Habila died at his residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State. He claimed that she was a physiotherapist seconded to the Federal Ministry of Works from the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences.
Exclusive photographs obtained by SaharaReporters showed that Mary Habila was found without clothing when her body was removed.
The report said the authenticity and context of the images were independently verified.
Despite the Minister’s official statement claiming that Mary Habila and Mary Baski were physiotherapists employed by the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences and seconded to his residence, police sources familiar with the investigation have disputed that account.
According to the sources, Habila and Baski arrived at the minister’s residence on June 26 after travelling from Kaduna State. Investigators alleged that the two women were brought from Kaduna to attend to the minister.
Habila was found dead inside the residence the following morning under circumstances that investigators are still working to establish.
Police sources further disclosed that Jonathan Bawado, a police officer serving as Senator David Umahi’s Personal Assistant and who previously served as his Aide-de-Camp (ADC) during Umahi’s tenure as Governor of Ebonyi State, was responsible for bringing the two women to the residence.
According to the sources, Bawado was also the individual who alerted medical personnel after Habila was discovered unresponsive.
There have been also public concerns about how staff of the University hospital were seconded to the residence of the Minister of Works for no official reasons.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, Umahi had described Habila’s death as “unfortunate” and said he received the news with profound shock and sadness.
According to the statement, the minister said emergency measures were immediately activated after the incident, with medical personnel, including the Chief Medical Director of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS), Uburu, contacted without delay.
He added that the Nigerian police were also promptly notified in line with legal procedures.
The minister claimed that after Habila’s death was confirmed, he personally received her parents, offered his condolences, and advised the family to consent to an autopsy to scientifically establish the cause of death.
However, the minister claimed that the family initially declined the recommendation.
The death of Mary Habila has generated public interest following reports questioning the circumstances under which she died while in Uburu, Ebonyi State, prompting calls for a transparent investigation.
