By Johnson Adegbe
Mary Habila, the 26-year-old woman who died at the Ebonyi State residence of Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has been buried in Kaduna State without a publicly disclosed autopsy report establishing the cause of her death.
Habila was buried quietly in Nok, Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, on Friday, August 21, 2026, nearly two months after her death on June 27.
According to SaharaReporters, sources familiar with the matter said no autopsy was conducted before her burial, despite the prolonged controversy surrounding a proposed forensic examination of her remains.
“I heard she (Mary Habila) was buried without autopsy,” one source was quoted as saying, while another reportedly stated that she was buried without an examination to determine the exact cause of her death.
The development has renewed concerns over the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death and the fate of the forensic investigation involving her family, the Nigeria Police Force, Senator Umahi and the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU).
SOKAPU President, Samuel Tabara Kato, told SaharaReporters that the organisation was not informed whether an autopsy was eventually conducted.
“I’m not sure whether autopsy was done or not. It wasn’t communicated to us,” Kato said, adding that the union did not know whether police authorities at the headquarters had ensured that the examination was carried out.
Habila reportedly died after she was found unconscious at Umahi’s residence. The circumstances surrounding her death became controversial following the circulation of photographs purportedly showing blood around her nose and mouth.
SaharaReporters had previously cited police and medical sources who allegedly observed signs consistent with blunt-force trauma. However, the report noted that the allegations had not been independently established, while Umahi has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The controversy also extended to conflicting accounts about Habila’s occupation. Umahi initially described her as a physiotherapist, while the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy reportedly said her name was not on its register of licensed physiotherapists. SaharaReporters later reported that she was a Community Health Extension Worker.
Following her death, the Ebonyi State Police Command reportedly maintained that a forensic autopsy was necessary to establish the cause of death. The position was also said to have been supported by legal advice from the Ebonyi State Director of Public Prosecutions.
Habila’s family initially opposed an autopsy and sought the release of her remains for burial. Her father, Tanko Habila Wisdom, later withdrew from legal proceedings and stated that the family did not suspect foul play.
The family subsequently agreed to an autopsy on the condition that the investigation be transferred from Ebonyi State to the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja. Her remains were reportedly moved to Abuja and deposited at the National Hospital.
Despite the development, no autopsy report was publicly disclosed before her remains were released for burial.
SOKAPU had also instituted a ₦20 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Kaduna State High Court, seeking an independent investigation and forensic examination of Habila’s remains.
The organisation described the circumstances of her death as unexplained and controversial and called for a fresh investigation. It also proposed the involvement of pathologists from Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and the National Hospital, Abuja.
Umahi has repeatedly denied any involvement in Habila’s death and called for the circumstances surrounding her death to be established through investigation.
With Habila now buried, fresh questions have emerged over whether a forensic examination was conducted before her remains were released and whether the circumstances surrounding her death will receive further investigation.
SaharaReporters said efforts to reach the Nigeria Police Force spokesman, CSP Anietie Iniedu, for comment were unsuccessful as of the time of filing its report.
