Late Nurse Habila’s Father Petitions IGP, Seeks Release of Her Body

The father of the late Mary Habila has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, seeking the transfer of the investigation into his daughter’s death to the Force Headquarters and the release of her remains for burial.

According to The Nation, the petition, dated July 17, 2026, was filed by Mr. Habila Wisdom Janko through his lawyer, K.A. Yusuf of K.A. Yusuf & Associates, who alleged that the Ebonyi State Police Command had continued to withhold the body despite the family fulfilling all legal requirements for its release.

The petition, acknowledged by the Office of the Inspector-General of Police on the same day, stated that Mary Habila, a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS), Uburu, died on June 27, 2026, under circumstances reported to the police.

It said her remains have remained in a designated mortuary on the directive of the Ebonyi State Police Command.

According to the petition, the family applied for the release of the body after completing all necessary legal procedures but has yet to receive approval.

The petitioner argued that the prolonged retention of the body has caused emotional, psychological, financial and cultural hardship, while preventing the family from carrying out customary and religious burial rites.

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“It is our client’s respectful position that the continued detention of his daughter’s corpse without lawful justification is arbitrary, oppressive and inconsistent with the principles of justice, fairness and respect for human dignity,” the lawyer wrote.

The petition further maintained that if the police considered the body essential to their investigation, they should communicate the legal basis for retaining it and provide a timeline for concluding their inquiries instead of holding the remains indefinitely.

Among the requests made to the IGP are the transfer of the case from the Ebonyi State Police Command to the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the immediate release of Mary Habila’s body for burial, and disciplinary action against any officer found to have acted unlawfully.

The petition also urged the Inspector-General to issue any additional directives necessary to ensure justice in the matter.

The development adds to the growing controversy surrounding Mary Habila’s death, which has drawn national attention.

The police have maintained that investigations are ongoing and insist an autopsy is necessary to determine the cause of death, while the family continues to demand the release of her body and the intervention of the Inspector-General of Police.