Mary Habila’s death: Atiku fires message to Tinubu, says Umahi must step aside
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It took the courage of Sahara Reporters to bring this death into public view. Three weeks after her death, no autopsy has been performed.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to direct the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, to step aside pending the outcome of investigations into the death of 26-year-old Mary Habila, who reportedly died at the minister’s private residence in Ebonyi State.
In a statement on Thursday, Atiku said the move was necessary to ensure public confidence in the investigation, stressing that his call should not be interpreted as a declaration of guilt against the minister.
“I make no pronouncement on anyone’s guilt or innocence,” Atiku said. “Only a credible, independent, and transparent investigation can establish the truth.”
Mary Habila, a native of Nok in Southern Kaduna, reportedly died on June 27, 2026, at Senator Umahi’s private residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State.
Atiku expressed condolences to Habila’s family, describing her death as a tragedy.
“No family should have to mourn a daughter taken in the prime of her life while also fighting simply to learn the truth of how she died,” he said.
The former vice president criticised what he described as the Federal Government’s handling of the matter, alleging that there had been insufficient public communication since the incident became known.
According to him, the circumstances surrounding the death have generated public concern, particularly following reports that an autopsy had yet to be conducted and that the investigation remains with the Ebonyi State Police Command.
He also noted that the case first gained public attention following media reports.
Atiku questioned what he described as the silence of key government institutions, including the Presidency, the Federal Executive Council, the Inspector-General of Police and the National Assembly.
He further expressed concern that the minister had continued to perform his official duties while the investigation was ongoing.
According to Atiku, public confidence would be strengthened if the Federal Government ensured that the investigation was independent and transparent.
He therefore called on President Tinubu to direct Umahi to temporarily step aside while investigations continue.
“This is not a punishment; it is the minimum standard of public accountability in any serious democracy,” Atiku said. “No official under this cloud should preside over a federal ministry as though it were business as usual.”
The former vice president also urged the Inspector-General of Police to transfer the investigation from the Ebonyi State Police Command to the Force Headquarters and involve independent forensic experts.
According to him, such a move would help enhance public confidence in the outcome of the investigation.
Atiku further called for what he described as a full, independent and internationally credible autopsy to be conducted without further delay, with the findings made public.
In addition, he urged authorities to ensure that Mary Habila’s family is protected from any form of pressure, intimidation or inducement and granted full access to information relating to the investigation.
PM News reports that Senator Umahi has previously denied wrongdoing and has publicly supported calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mary Habila’s death.
Authorities have not announced any findings regarding the cause of death, and investigations are ongoing.
Below is the full statement by Atiku Abubakar:
I have followed with deep sorrow and mounting concern the reports surrounding the death of Miss Mary Habila, a 26-year-old Nigerian from Nok, Southern Kaduna, who died on June 27, 2026, within the private residence of the Honourable Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, in Uburu, Ebonyi State.
First, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Habila family. No family should have to mourn a daughter taken in the prime of her life while also fighting simply to learn the truth of how she died.
But condolences are not enough. Nigerians deserve answers, and it is on this score that the Tinubu administration has failed, comprehensively and disgracefully.
Consider the facts that are not in dispute.
A young woman died in the residence of a serving Federal Minister.
For nearly two weeks, neither the Minister, nor the police, nor any arm of government said a word to the Nigerian people.
It took the courage of Sahara Reporters to bring this death into public view.
Three weeks after her death, no autopsy has been performed.
No cause of death has been established.
The investigation remains domiciled in the very state where the Minister served two terms as Governor and where his influence is beyond question.
And through all of this, silence from the Presidency.
Silence from the Federal Executive Council.
Silence from the Inspector-General of Police.
Silence from the National Assembly.
Not one word.
Not one directive.
Not one gesture to assure Nigerians that the life of Mary Habila matters to this government.
Instead, the Minister has been permitted to manage the narrative of a death that occurred under his own roof: issuing statements through his personal aides, deploying his private lawyers to correspond with the police, and continuing his official duties as though nothing has happened, while civil society groups, youth organisations, and the family’s own community cry out for an independent inquiry.
Let me be clear: I make no pronouncement on anyone’s guilt or innocence. That is precisely the point.
Only a credible, independent, and transparent investigation can establish the truth, and it is the refusal of the Federal Government to guarantee such an investigation that constitutes the scandal before us.
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.
President Tinubu’s administration has instead treated this tragedy as an inconvenience to be waited out.
If the death of a young Nigerian woman in a Minister’s residence cannot stir this government to act, then Nigerians must ask: whose life, exactly, does this government value?
I therefore demand the following:
One, 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. No official under this cloud should preside over a federal ministry as though it were business as usual.
Two, the Inspector-General of Police must immediately transfer the investigation from the Ebonyi State Command to Force Headquarters, with the involvement of independent forensic experts. No investigation conducted in the shadow of the Minister’s home-state influence can command public confidence.
Three, a full, independent, and internationally credible autopsy must be conducted without further delay, with the findings made public. The stalemate over the post-mortem, three weeks after this young woman’s death is an indictment of every institution involved.
Four, the family of Mary Habila must be protected from any pressure, inducement, or intimidation, and must be guaranteed unfettered access to the facts of their daughter’s death.
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