Atiku demands Umahi step aside over Mary Habila’s death

FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over its handling of the death of Mary Habila, a 26-year-old nurse who died within the private residence of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, in Ebonyi State.

In a statement on Thursday, July 16, Abubakar expressed concern over what he described as the government’s failure to act swiftly and transparently following Habila’s death.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the  2027 poll questioned why the investigation remained domiciled in Ebonyi State, where Umahi previously served two terms as governor.

He argued that the political influence of the minister could overshadow the process, and criticised the Presidency and security agencies for maintaining silence on the matter.

“For nearly two weeks, neither the minister, nor the police, nor any arm of government said a word to the Nigerian people,” he said, adding that Three weeks after her death, no autopsy has been performed. No cause of death has been established.”

Abubakar accused the Tinubu administration of treating the tragedy as “an inconvenience”, arguing that the public deserved immediate and uncompromised answers.

“A government’s first duty is the protection of life. Where a life is lost in circumstances touching a high official of state, the burden on government to act transparently is at its heaviest,” he noted.

To ensure an unbiased inquiry, Abubakar demanded that Umahi be asked to temporarily vacate his office while the investigation runs its course, maintaining that public accountability is necessary to preserve confidence in public institutions.

“President Bola Tinubu must direct the Honourable Minister of Works to step aside immediately, pending the conclusion of investigations. This is not a punishment; it is the minimum standard of public accountability in any serious democracy,” he stated.

Additionally, the former leader demanded that the Inspector-General of Police transfer the investigation from the Ebonyi State Command to the Force Headquarters in Abuja, and called for the immediate conduct of an independent, credible autopsy with its results made public.

He also urged authorities to protect the deceased’s family from any form of external pressure or intimidation during the process.

“The measure of a nation is how it responds when the powerful are touched by tragedy and the powerless demand truth, Mary Habila was somebody’s daughter, somebody’s sister, a young professional with her life ahead of her. She was a Nigerian. Her death must not be reduced to a footnote of political convenience,” he urged.

However, despite Abubakar’s demand for a post-mortem, the family of the deceased has asked the police to halt plans for an autopsy on her body.

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In an affidavit dated July 13 and filed before the High Court of Justice in Ebonyi State, the victim’s father, Tanko Habila, requested the court to withdraw the police investigation into her death, stating that the family did not suspect foul play.

“While I welcome steps being taken to unravel the cause of my daughter’s death, my family and I will not accept any autopsy,” the affidavit read.

Habila worked at the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences before she was seconded to the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja, where she served as a personal nurse to Umahi and his immediate staff for about three years.

She died on June 27, 2026, in Uburu, in the Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state, after travelling with the minister to his hometown.