Tanko Habila, father of the late Miss Mary Habila, the nurse who died at the residence of the Minister of Works, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), demanding the release of her remains for burial.
Habila, who was accompanied by his wife, other family members and their lawyers, addressed the press shortly after submitting the petition at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, on Friday.
The senior Habila, who spoke after the family lawyer, expressed sadness that almost two weeks after his daughter’s demise, the Ebonyi State Police Command had refused to release her body for burial.
According to him, the family was not interested in an autopsy.
He said: “As we are standing here, somebody can fall and die. It has happened. All we want is her body to be buried.”
In an affidavit titled “Affidavit of Withdrawal of Case” filed before the High Court of Justice of Ebonyi State, her father, Tanko Habila Wisdom, said the family was not alleging any foul play in her death and wished to proceed with her burial.
According to the affidavit, Mary Habila died on June 27, 2026, in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The deponent stated that before her death, Habila was a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences and had been seconded to the Federal Ministry of Works in Mabushi, Abuja, where she served in the Office of the Minister of Works for about three years.
The affidavit further stated that she served as a personal nurse to the Minister of Works and members of his immediate staff.
According to the document, the Minister of Works requested that an autopsy be conducted to ascertain the cause of her death.
However, the family said it would not consent to the procedure.
“While I welcome steps being taken to unravel the cause of my daughter’s death, my family and I will not accept any autopsy on my daughter’s body,” the affidavit stated.
The family also appealed to medical and investigative authorities to leave the deceased’s body and organs intact.
The deponent further requested that no additional investigation be conducted and that the body be released for burial.