Forgotten Dairies
A Case For A Judicial Inquiry Into The Cause Of The Death Of Citizen Mary Habila -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed
When people die in questionable circumstances and the cause of the death is not established by the relevant authorities, it embolden murderers to continue to waste human lives. Probing the cause of the death of Miss Habila does not necessarily means probing Umahi in whose house the victim was found dead. And even if that is the case, is Umahi insulated from investigation? Engineer David Umahi himself has called for an autopsy and investigation on cause of the death. Whether his call for autopsy is half-hearted or real, it is necessary. I am not accusing Umahi in any way for if Umahi is involved there must be a motive and it should not have been in his house.
There have been calls in the social media and from concerned Nigeria for a probe on the cause of the death of Miss Mary Habila who died in the country home of David Umahi, the Minister of Works in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area, Ebonyi State. The 26-year-old physiotherapist and nurse who was said to have been attached to the minister for about three years now died on 27th June 2026 in a manner many believed was questionable. She was said to been found dead in a room within the compound of David Umahi’s residence in Uburu naked with blood stains on her nose and mouth.
And ever since, there have been strident calls from many Nigerians and different Civil Society groups for an independent investigation into the cause of the death of Miss Habila. Did she have a chronic health issue? Was her death the result of negligence or was she murdered? There are many such questions that must be answered to unravel the cause of her death.
The calls for the probe into the cause of the death of Miss Habila is heightened by what many see as Umahi’s antecedent. Recall that on November 2021 about 5 engineers from NELAN Consulting Engineers working on the African Development Bank-backed Abakaliki Ring Road project disappeared in a very mysterious circumstance. The five engineers namely: Nelson Onyemeh, Ernest Edeani, Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Samuel Aneke and Stanley Nwazulum traveled to Abakaliki on a meeting request from Umahi who was the governor of Ebonyi State and have not been seen ever since. After the disappearance of the engineers, Umahi said that the engineers were victims of the Effium-Ezza communal conflict; an explanation that was roundly rejected by the families of the missing engineers. The families of the engineers alleged that the disappearance of engineers was linked to the disputes with the governor over the AfDB project. The alleged that Umahi wanted the NELAN to take the back seat and approve certificates for work they did not supervise. They also alleged interference in the investigation of the case.
Another reason why many are interested in probing the case is because the former governor of Ebonyi State who is at the center of this case has once described himself in two different occasions as a very dangerous man. In March this year, a Nigerian journalist, Seun O’Law alleged that Umahi sent him a threatening message via WhatsApp over a secret recording of a meeting on the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway. And earlier in the year, at a gathering in his home state, Ebonyi, Umahi was said to have boasted publicly thus: “I am ten times bigger than when I was governor. I am very dangerous now. God has blessed the Umahi family beyond wealth, and we are capable of funding anything.” A very dangerous man who is rich enough to fund anything can fund murder.
Curiously, the deceased family led by her father Tanko Habila Wisdom is said to be opposed to the autopsy raising suspicion that they might have intimidated or settled into accepting what happened to their daughter as fait accompli. The case is beyond the family when it is suspected to be a murder case and therefore it requires a full scale investigation which will begin with autopsy and coroner inquest. So, it is legally not admissible to have released the corpse to family for burial when the proper investigation has not been done.
In another development, the incorporated trustees of a group known as Southern Kaduna Peoples’ United Association (SOKAPU) has filed a suit at a deferral high court in Kaduna against David Umahi over the death of Miss Mary Habila. And named in the said suit is Habila Tanko Wisdom, the father of the deceased, the Attorney-general of Ebonyi State and the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State. Among other things, SOKAPU is asking the court to order an autopsy on the deceased to establish the exact cause of the death and N20 billion in damages against Umahi for a breach of duty of care by the minister while the deceased was in his custody.
I am joining my voice with that of other concerned Nigerians in calling for a thorough investigation into the cause of the death of Mary Habila. It is the duty of the state to protect its citizens. When people die in questionable circumstances and the cause of the death is not established by the relevant authorities, it embolden murderers to continue to waste human lives. Probing the cause of the death of Miss Habila does not necessarily means probing Umahi in whose house the victim was found dead. And even if that is the case, is Umahi insulated from investigation? Engineer David Umahi himself has called for an autopsy and investigation on cause of the death. Whether his call for autopsy is half-hearted or real, it is necessary. I am not accusing Umahi in any way for if Umahi is involved there must be a motive and it should not have been in his house.
Hajia Hadiza Mohammed
An actress, social activist, politician
London, UK