The family of the late Mary Habila has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to intervene in the continued retention of her remains, urging the police authorities to release her body for burial.

The appeal was made through the family’s lawyer, Kaile Yusuf, during a press briefing on Friday at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

Yusuf said Mary Habila, who was attached to the office of the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, died in Ebonyi State on June 27. He noted that her remains have remained in official custody since her death despite the family’s efforts to secure their release.

According to the lawyer, the family has complied with all procedures and conditions stipulated by the Nigeria Police Force for the release of the body but is yet to receive approval to proceed with burial arrangements.

“It is regrettable having followed all necessary procedures by the family as required by the Nigerian police in order to retrieve the body to give her a befitting burial having stayed long in that process,” Yusuf said. “Unfortunately her body is yet to be released to the family, which is unfortunate.”

He explained that the briefing was also intended to address what he described as misinformation surrounding the deceased’s identity, profession and personal life.

Yusuf stated that contrary to some reports, Habila was a trained nurse and not a physiotherapist. He said she previously worked at David Umahi University of Health Sciences before being deployed to the office of the Minister of Works, where she served for approximately three years as a civil servant.

According to him, documentary evidence, including her appointment letter and salary records, confirms her employment status.

The lawyer argued that there was no justification for the continued withholding of the body and alleged that some individuals were attempting to politicise the circumstances surrounding her death.

He disclosed that the family had formally petitioned the IGP against the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, seeking the immediate release of Habila’s remains and intervention from the Force Headquarters.

“And having not been given the body of Mary Habila in Ebonyi State, the family instructed me to write a petition against the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State to the Inspector General of Police for her body to be released,” he said.

Yusuf further revealed that the family had consistently declined requests for an autopsy, citing personal, cultural and traditional considerations.

“We are here to also ascertain to the fact that the Minister has requested time without number for the autopsy of late Mary Habila, but the family has resolved and are determined and standing their ground not to allow it because of some personal, cultural and traditional reasons.”

He also rejected allegations made about the deceased’s character, insisting that such claims were false and irrelevant to the family’s demand for the release of her body.

“It is at this point that we want to make clear to the world that Mary Habila has never been a ‘runs girl’ or whatever and she has so been in Abuja working with the minister before her eventful death and this is the truth,” he said.

Speaking at the briefing, Mary’s father, Tanko Habila Wisdom, made an emotional appeal for the return of his daughter’s remains, saying the family’s only desire was to give her a proper burial.

“I don’t have much to talk in this case, all I want is the corpse of my daughter, we don’t keep corpse of little children for so long like this. So, that is why I am here again to say this once and for all, I need the corpse of my daughter to take her for burial, that is what I am standing on,” he said.

He stressed that the family was not accusing anyone in connection with the death and maintained that it had enjoyed a cordial relationship with Habila’s workplace before the incident.

Also speaking, a colleague of the deceased, Anita Baki, described Habila’s death as sudden. She clarified that she, Baki, was the physiotherapist, while Habila served as a nurse.

Mary Habila was reported dead at a private residence belonging to the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Since then, her remains have remained in police custody.

The family insists it has met all requirements for the release of the body but remains opposed to an autopsy on personal, cultural and traditional grounds, maintaining that its sole concern is to give the deceased a dignified burial.