Mary Habila, a 26-year-old physiotherapist attached to the office of the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has been laid to rest in Kaduna State following her death at the minister’s private residence in Ebonyi State.
Habila was buried in Nok, Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, her home community, according to information contained in the report.
The physiotherapist died on June 27, 2026, at Umahi’s private residence in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Her death generated public concern, with Nigerians calling for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding what happened.
Calls for autopsy and investigation
Following the death, some Nigerians demanded that an autopsy be conducted to establish the cause of death, while others called for the suspension of the minister pending clarification of the circumstances.
The Uburu Traditional Rulers Council subsequently announced a community-wide spiritual cleansing exercise and imposed a dawn-to-dusk curfew in the community.
The Ebonyi State Police Command also said a post-mortem examination would be conducted to determine the actual cause of Habila’s death.Umahi denies involvementUmahi has denied having any involvement in Habila’s death.
The minister also criticised attempts to turn the incident into a political controversy, saying he was particularly disturbed that the death of one of his workers had become a subject of political demands.
Umahi said the circumstances surrounding the incident should be left to God and proper processes rather than social media speculation.
“Power and might does not belong to social media, it belongs to God. And God sees the heart of men,” the minister had said.
He also expressed concern that calls for his removal from office had emerged in connection with Habila’s death.
“What surprised me is that when people took the death of one of my best workers and started to play politics, they said the President should sack me,” he added.
The circumstances surrounding Habila’s death had previously prompted calls for official clarification, while authorities said a post-mortem examination would help establish the cause of death.