Fresh details have emerged on the circumstances surrounding the death of Mary Habila, a nurse attached to the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences (DUFUS) and on secondment to the Federal Ministry of Works, following a sworn statement by her colleague and close friend, Anita Baaki.
Baaki, a physiotherapist from Benue State, said she and Habila were among ministry officials who travelled from Abuja to Ebonyi State on June 24 for an official assignment under the Minister of Works, David Umahi.
In an affidavit filed before the Ebonyi State High Court, Baaki stated that members of the delegation were accommodated in separate but adjoining rooms within a staff chalet located inside the minister’s country home in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area. She clarified that the chalet serves as accommodation for staff members and associates and is not the minister’s personal residence.
Recounting the events leading to Habila’s death, Baaki said her colleague returned to the chalet on the evening of June 26 after having her hair done. According to her, Habila briefly visited her room to show off her new hairstyle before saying she was tired and intended to take a shower and retire for the night.
“Mary told me she was tired and wanted to take a shower before sleeping. That was the last time I saw her alive,” Baaki stated in the affidavit.
She explained that the following morning, she became worried when Habila did not come out as expected. After several phone calls went unanswered, she knocked on Habila’s door but received no response. Realising the room was locked from the inside, she alerted a domestic staff member to help search the premises.
When Habila could not be located elsewhere, other staff members were informed and the door was forced open. She was found lying unconscious on the floor near the entrance of her room.
Habila was immediately rushed to the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, where doctors confirmed she was dead on arrival.
Baaki stressed that her statement was made voluntarily, without coercion, and solely to assist official investigations into the incident.
Meanwhile, legal representatives of Minister David Umahi have formally requested the Ebonyi State Police Command to conduct a comprehensive forensic autopsy before Habila’s body is released to her family for burial.
In a letter addressed to the Commissioner of Police, the minister’s lawyers said the request was aimed at ensuring transparency, preserving the integrity of the investigation, and establishing the exact cause of death through scientific examination.
The legal team also reiterated that Habila was lodged in accommodation designated for staff members and associates, not in the minister’s private residence, noting that only Habila and Baaki occupied the building on the night of the incident.
They urged the police to engage qualified forensic pathologists and requested that Habila’s remains not be released to her next of kin, Tanko Habila Wisdom of Jaba Local Government Area, Kaduna State, until the autopsy and all investigative procedures have been concluded.
According to the lawyers, withholding the body until forensic examinations are completed will help preserve critical evidence, prevent speculation, and ensure that conclusions regarding Habila’s death are based on scientific findings.
Police investigations into the incident are ongoing, with the outcome of the forensic autopsy expected to be central to determining the cause and circumstances of Mary Habila’s death.
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