The father of the late Mary Habila, Mr. Habila Wisdom Janko, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, over the continued retention of his daughter’s body by the Ebonyi State Police Command.
In the petition dated July 17, 2026, written through his counsel, K.A. Yusuf of K.A. Yusuf & Associates, the family urged the IGP to order the immediate release of Mary’s remains for burial and transfer the investigation from the Ebonyi State Police Command to the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The petition, acknowledged by the office of the Inspector-General of Police on July 17, stated that Mary Habila, who died on June 27, 2026, was a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State.
According to the petition, Mary’s remains have been kept in a designated mortuary under the directive of the Ebonyi State Police Command since her death.
The family alleged that despite complying with all legal requirements demanded by the police for the release of the body, the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police had refused to authorise its release.
The petition said the continued withholding of the corpse had caused the family emotional, psychological, financial and cultural hardship, while denying them the opportunity to perform customary and religious burial rites.
“It is our client’s respectful position that the continued detention of his daughter’s corpse without lawful justification is arbitrary, oppressive and inconsistent with the principles of justice, fairness and respect for human dignity,” the petition stated.
The family argued that if the police considered the body necessary for investigation, the command ought to formally communicate the legal basis for retaining it and indicate a clear timeline for concluding its inquiries, rather than keeping the remains indefinitely.
Among the reliefs sought are the transfer of the case from the Ebonyi State Police Command to the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the immediate release of Mary Habila’s body for burial, and disciplinary action against any officer found to have acted unlawfully.
The petition also urged the IGP to issue further directives necessary to ensure justice in the matter.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Force Headquarters, the family’s lawyer, Barrister Yusuf, said the briefing became necessary to clear what he described as false and unsubstantiated allegations about Mary’s person and character.
Yusuf clarified that Mary was not a physiotherapist, as earlier reported in some quarters, but a nurse employed by the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences before she was seconded to the office of the minister.
He said Mary had worked there for about three years, adding that the family had documents, including her appointment letter and payslip, to prove her employment status, though they would not be publicly displayed because of privacy concerns.
“It is imperative to note that late Mary Habila was not a physiotherapist; rather, she was a nurse,” Yusuf said.
The lawyer also rejected claims allegedly made against Mary’s character, insisting that she was not a “runs girl” and had been working in Abuja before her death.
He accused unnamed persons of attempting to use the deceased as a pawn in political manoeuvring, saying the family only wanted the release of her body for burial.
Yusuf confirmed that the Minister had repeatedly requested an autopsy, but said the family had resolved not to consent to it for personal, cultural and traditional reasons.
According to him, the family had followed all necessary procedures required by the police in Ebonyi State to retrieve the body, yet the corpse had not been released more than two weeks after her death.
Mary’s father, who also spoke during the briefing, said his only demand was for the police to release his daughter’s body.
“All that I want is the corpse of my daughter. We don’t keep the corpse of a little child for so long like this,” he said.
He added that the family did not want an autopsy and was not suspecting anyone over her death.
“I need the corpse of my daughter to take her for burial. That is what I am standing on. That is why I said I don’t want the autopsy,” he said.
When asked about his relationship with Mary before her death, the father said they had a cordial relationship at home and at her place of work.
Also speaking, Anita Bakare, who identified herself as Mary’s colleague, described her death as sudden and painful.
Bakare said Mary was a nurse and not a physiotherapist, adding that she herself was the physiotherapist who worked with Mary.
She said they had both worked under the minister for over three years and were not newly brought in from elsewhere, contrary to some reports.
“She’s a nurse. While the news has been spread around that she’s a physiotherapist, I’m the physiotherapist here,” Bakare said.
The latest petition adds another layer to the controversy surrounding Mary Habila’s death, which has attracted public attention following conflicting claims about her professional identity, the circumstances of her death and the police insistence on further investigation.
The police have maintained that an autopsy is necessary to determine the actual cause of death, while the family has continued to reject the procedure and press for the release of her body for burial.
As of the time of this report, the family said it was awaiting the response of the Inspector-General of Police to its petition.
The post “Release My Daughter’s Body Now” — Mary Habila’s Father Petitions IGP, Seeks Transfer Of Probe From Ebonyi Police appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.
