Mary Habila’s father petitions IGP, seeks release of daughter’s body

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tunji Disu has been petitioned to take over the investigation into the death of Mary Habila, a staff member of David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State, following allegations that the Ebonyi State Police Command has unlawfully refused to release her body for burial.

The petition, dated July 17, 2026, was written by Naise K. A. Yusuf, Principal Attorney of Yusuf Adamu Kaile Chambers, on behalf of Mary Habila’s father, Mr Habila Wisdom Tanko of Sabon Gari, Nok, Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

According to the petition addressed to the Inspector General of Police at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, Mary Habila died on June 27, 2026, under circumstances that were reported to the police.

The lawyer stated that since her death, “the body has remained in police custody at a designated mortuary under the authority or directive of the Ebonyi State Police Command.”

The petition claimed that after all legal requirements had been fulfilled, the family formally requested the release of the deceased’s remains for burial but alleged that the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State had failed to approve the request.

It stated, “Despite repeated applications, personal visits and compliance with every lawful requirement communicated to our client, the Commissioner of police has continued to refuse, neglect or failed to authorize the release of the corpse. No valid legal justification has been provided for this continued detention.”

The lawyer argued that the continued withholding of the body had subjected the family to emotional, psychological, financial and cultural hardship.

“The prolonged withholding of our client daughter’s remains has caused our client and his family immense emotional, psychological, financial and cultural hardship our client family have been denied the opportunity to perform the customary and religious burial rites to which every deceased person is entitled,” the petition read.

The petition further contended that the continued detention of the corpse without lawful justification was “arbitrary, oppressive, and inconsistent with the principles of justice, fairness and respect for human dignity,” adding that it had caused the family to lose confidence in the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police.

The lawyer also stated that the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police “ought to communicate the legal basis for withholding the body and the expected timeline for concluding such investigations, rather than keeping the remains indefinitely.”

Among the reliefs sought, the family asked the Inspector General of Police to transfer the case from the Ebonyi State Police Command to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

The petition also requested the IGP to “direct the immediate release of the corpse to our clients for burial since there’s no lawful order or impediment preventing such release.”

In addition, the family urged the police chief to “take appropriate disciplinary or administrative action against any officer found to have acted unlawfully,” and to “grant such directive as may be necessary to ensure that justice is done in this matter.”

The petition noted that documents earlier submitted to the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State were attached to support the request for the IGP’s intervention.

The Ebonyi State Police Command had not responded to the allegations contained in the petition as of the time of filing this report, while the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) could not be immediately reached for comments.