Questions Mount Over Circumstances Surrounding Mary Habila’s Death
A visually impaired human rights activist and executive director of the Disability Rights Protection Initiative, Chikwado Chukwu, has called for a comprehensive investigation into the death of Mary Habila, a physiotherapist who died at the Uburu residence of Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Dave Umahi. The case, which has drawn public scrutiny, involves unanswered questions about the events leading up to her death and the response of authorities.
Habila, described as Umahi’s personal physiotherapist, died under circumstances that activists say remain unclear. According to a statement released on Saturday by Francis Nweze, the minister’s Senior Special Assistant, Habila’s death was confirmed, and Umahi requested an autopsy to determine the cause. The statement added that the deceased’s family refused to allow the autopsy.
Chukwu, in a statement on Tuesday, pushed back against the official account, demanding a thorough probe. He cited information indicating that Habila and a colleague, Anita Baski, both from Kaduna State, arrived at Umahi’s residence in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, on June 26. Habila died inside the residence the next day, June 27. Chukwu wrote that her body was carried out naked and placed in the ambulance that arrived for her.
Lack of Public Communication Raises Concerns
Chukwu highlighted that neither Umahi, the Ebonyi State Police Command, nor the state government spoke publicly about the death for nearly two weeks. It took an investigative report by Sahara Reporters, published on July 10, before the case became public knowledge. When Umahi did respond through his aide Francis Nwaze, he said Habila and Baski were his personal physiotherapists, employees of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, who had been on secondment to the Federal Ministry of Works for three years.
“We call for a probe into the circumstances surrounding the death,” Chukwu said. “The question is why a minister would need a physiotherapist at his village home, away from his office and any clinic for three years, and why it took a private media outfit, rather than the police or the state government to tell the public that a woman had died there.”
Role of Police Officer Under Scrutiny
Chukwu also drew attention to the role of Jonathan Bawado, a serving police officer who works as Umahi’s personal assistant and previously served as his aide-de-camp during Umahi’s tenure as Ebonyi State governor. “Police sources have told the media that Bawado brought the two women to the residence. A serving police officer, running personal errands like this for a minister, is exactly the kind of investigation that should be looked into, not swept under the carpet,” Chukwu added.
The case has been moved from the Ohaozara Police Division to the Ebonyi State Command, according to reports. As of the latest available information, the police have not issued a public statement on the cause of death or the status of their investigation.
The incident raises broader questions about transparency and accountability in cases involving high-ranking officials, as well as the use of public employees for private duties. The call for an investigation underscores the need for clarity on the events that led to Habila’s death and the handling of the case by authorities.
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