The quiet burial of Mary Habila, a 26-year-old community health worker whose death at the country home of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, sparked public controversy, has failed to bring closure to her family, friends and residents of her hometown in southern Kaduna, as questions surrounding the circumstances of her death remain unanswered.
Mary was buried quietly in Nok, a community in Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State and the hometown of her parents, with little public information about the ceremony or when it took place.
When the Daily Trust correspondent visited the community, there was little indication that the young woman had recently been laid to rest. Many residents in Nok and neighbouring communities said they only learnt of the burial after it had taken place.
Autopsy conducted, report ready – Police
Fresh efforts by Daily Trust to establish the status of the autopsy have produced a new development.
The newspaper contacted the police spokesman, CSP Anietie Iniedu, for an update on the forensic examination and its findings.
The spokesman confirmed that an autopsy had been conducted and that the report was ready, but declined to disclose any details from the report.
He told Daily Trust that the newspaper would have to submit a Freedom of Information request to obtain information contained in the report.
The development provides a new dimension to the controversy surrounding Mary’s death.
While the family had previously opposed an autopsy, the police have now confirmed that a post-mortem examination was eventually carried out and that its report is available.
However, the contents of the report, including whether it established the cause of Mary’s death or revealed any other significant findings, remain unknown publicly.
Daily Trust intends to submit a FOI request to the police seeking access to the report and will await the response.
The development also leaves several questions unanswered: What did the autopsy establish? When was it conducted? Why has the report not been made public? And, if the report has established the cause of death, why has that information not been communicated to the public?
These questions are particularly significant given the public interest that has surrounded the case and the fact that Mary’s burial has now taken place.
Mary died on June 27 inside the staff quarters at Senator Umahi’s country home in Uburu, Ebonyi State.
Police confirmed at the time that she was taken to the David Umahi Federal Teaching Hospital, Uburu, where she was certified dead on arrival.
The Ebonyi State Police Command subsequently transferred the case to its State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation before it was transferred to the headquarters of the police in Abuja after national interest in the matter.
The circumstances surrounding her death, however, have not been publicly established.
Family remains silent
Mary’s father, Pastor Habila Wisdom, declined to speak with the Daily Trust correspondent when approached at the family home in Nok.
“I don’t have anything to tell you. I’m very sorry,” he said, declining to give reasons for his decision.
He, however, suggested that the correspondent contact the family’s lawyer for further information.
The lawyer also declined to discuss details of the matter when contacted, although he promised to get back to the correspondent later. He however did not as of the time of filing this report.
Some residents of neighbouring communities expressed surprise over the burial, saying they only learnt that Mary had been laid to rest after the ceremony had taken place.
A resident of Kwoi, the local government headquarters, Samson Monday Ham, said the manner in which information about the case and the burial had been handled had left many people with unanswered questions.
“Mary Habila’s death caught the attention of not only the international communities, but Jaba Local Government Area and, more especially, her neighbouring communities. But we don’t know why we were denied information about the case, the autopsy result and the silent burial,” he said.
What happened to Mary?
The case attracted widespread attention partly because of the location where it occurred and conflicting accounts surrounding Mary’s final hours.
The Minister of Works had told journalists at a press conference in Abuja on July 16 that Mary complained of a nosebleed during a telephone conversation with her boyfriend shortly before she was found dead.
According to Umahi, Mary told her boyfriend that the bleeding had stopped and that she intended to take a bath. The boyfriend was said to have advised her to seek medical attention before ending the call.
“Three minutes later, the boyfriend called back, but she was no longer responding,” Umahi said.
Earlier accounts from colleagues suggested that Mary had appeared healthy before her death. Her friend and colleague, Anita Baaki, said Mary had visited her room before going to bed.
“Mary told me she was tired and wanted to take a shower before going to bed. That was the last time I saw her alive,” she said.
Mary had travelled from Abuja to Ebonyi State on June 26 as part of the entourage attached to the Minister of Works ahead of official and community engagements in his hometown of Uburu.
People familiar with her work said she appeared healthy and was busy preparing for activities at the minister’s residence.
A staff member who saw her after she arrived in Uburu recalled exchanging pleasantries with her.
“It appeared they were preparing for an event or meeting because Mary was busy arranging things with other domestic staff of the minister. I was shocked to hear the unfortunate news the following day,” the source said.
The differing accounts heightened calls for a transparent investigation into what happened in the final hours of Mary’s life.
‘Concerns should not simply be dismissed’
For residents of Jaba, the burial has not ended those concerns.
A former youth leader in the local government, Monday Gyubok, said the controversy surrounding Mary’s death and her subsequent quiet burial had understandably generated concerns among Nigerians, civil society organisations, community development groups and individuals calling for answers and accountability.
“These concerns should not simply be dismissed,” Gyubok said.
He nevertheless urged the public to respect the position of Mary’s family, particularly its decision not to subject the deceased to an autopsy.
“As young people, we are appealing for understanding, restraint and peace. The search for truth should not become a source of hatred, division or further pain. We can demand accountability while still respecting the dignity of the deceased and the wishes of her family,” he said.
Gyubok said every life deserved protection and dignity irrespective of social status, political affiliation, wealth or background.
(Source: Daily Trust with modified headline)
