A civil society organisation, the Kwechiri Unity Forum, has filed a lawsuit against the Minister of Works, David Umahi; the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu; and three others over the death of 26-year-old health worker Mary Habila.
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The suit was filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 17, 2026, by the organisation’s legal team led by Eziafa Enwedo.
Other defendants listed in the action are the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and Tanko Habila, the deceased’s father.
The group is asking the court to compel the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force to conduct what it described as an impartial, comprehensive and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death.
It is also seeking an order directing the police to conduct a formal autopsy on her remains to establish the medical cause of death.
The organisation asked the court to declare that public authorities have a legal duty to preserve evidence capable of assisting investigations into unexplained or suspicious deaths.
It further urged the court to hold that the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death must be investigated impartially, irrespective of the public office, influence or status of any person who may possess relevant information.
Pending the determination of the substantive suit, the group is seeking an interim injunction restraining the defendants from releasing, burying, interring, cremating or otherwise disposing of Habila’s body.
It also asked the court to direct the defendants to preserve all available materials and evidence relating to the incident until the investigation is concluded.
The group wants the police and other relevant authorities to comply with recognised forensic and investigative standards throughout the inquiry.
According to the organisation, the action was instituted in the public interest following widespread concern generated by media reports and conflicting positions over whether an autopsy should be conducted before Habila’s burial.
It argued that the 1999 Constitution imposes a positive obligation on the government and its agencies to protect life and ensure effective investigations into unexplained deaths.
Habila was reportedly brought dead to the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital in Uburu, Ebonyi State, on June 27.
She was attached to a medical team connected to the Minister of Works and had travelled to Uburu with other officials before she was found unresponsive in accommodation located within premises linked to the minister.
Umahi has denied involvement in her death or any attempt to conceal the circumstances surrounding it.
The minister maintained that the incident was reported to the police and called for a comprehensive forensic autopsy to establish the actual cause of death.
His lawyers subsequently wrote to the Ebonyi State Police Command requesting that qualified forensic pathologists conduct the post-mortem examination before Habila’s body was released for burial.
Umahi also said information available to him indicated that Habila had complained of being unwell before her death, but maintained that only a proper medical examination could resolve the questions surrounding the incident.
Habila’s family, however, opposed the proposed autopsy and requested the immediate release of her body for burial.
Her father filed an affidavit stating that the family did not suspect foul play and did not want the deceased’s body or organs interfered with through a post-mortem examination.
The family also petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, accusing the Ebonyi State Police Command of unlawfully withholding the body and asking that it be released for burial.
The police maintained that an autopsy was necessary to establish the cause of death and complete the investigation.
Ebonyi police spokesperson Joshua Ukandu said the command was awaiting the presence of Habila’s family or an authorised representative before proceeding with the examination.
The police assured the public that the investigation would be thorough, transparent and impartial, with updates provided as the inquiry progressed.
The Kwechiri Unity Forum’s suit now asks the Federal High Court to prevent the burial or disposal of the body until a formal autopsy and investigation have been completed.
No official medical cause of Habila’s death has been publicly announced, and no court or investigative authority has established wrongdoing against Umahi or any other person.
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