The father of Mary Habila, the 26-year-old nurse who died at the Uburu residence of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, has explained why the family wants her body released for burial without undergoing an autopsy.
Habila’s father, who identified himself as Habila Wisdom, spoke in an interview aired by Trust TV News and shared on X on Friday, saying the prolonged delay in releasing his daughter’s remains had become too painful for the family.
According to him, their decision to reject an autopsy is not driven by suspicion but by the desire to give their daughter a timely burial.
“We don’t keep the death of a little child up to so long, just like this. So that is why I am here to say once again and for all, I need the corpse of my daughter to take her for burial. That is what I am standing on,” he said.
Explaining further, Habila said the family’s request was simply to bury their daughter without additional delays.
“That is why I said I don’t want the autopsy. That is why I am demanding the corpse of my daughter to go and bury her now,” he added.
When asked whether the family suspected anyone of being responsible for her death, he dismissed the suggestion, insisting that death can occur unexpectedly.
He described his daughter’s relationship with her workplace and members of the minister’s household as cordial.
“Very cordial relationship, both in her working place, in my home and everywhere,” he said.
“I am not suspecting anybody because death can occur. Even as we are standing here, one can fall here now and die. So we are not suspecting anybody. It has happened, it has happened.”
DailyInsightNG recalls that Mary Habila died on June 27 while staying at the Uburu residence of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, where she had travelled with members of the minister’s medical team for official duties.
The Ebonyi State Police Command earlier confirmed that she was taken to the David Umahi Federal Teaching Hospital, Uburu, where doctors certified her dead on arrival before the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.
While Habila’s family has approached the Ebonyi State High Court seeking the release of her body and an end to the police investigation, the police have maintained that an autopsy remains necessary to determine the exact cause of her death.
Umahi, who recently addressed the incident publicly, denied any foul play and described the late nurse as “like a daughter,” noting that she had worked with him for about three years and that he had previously assisted with her medical expenses.
The matter remains under investigation.