Mary Habila Death: DPP Reveals She Was Found Naked, Lifeless at Umahi’s Residence, Says Autopsy Is Key

A shocking legal document has revealed disturbing new details about the mysterious death of 26-year-old Mary Habila, raising fresh questions as prosecutors insist that only an autopsy can uncover what truly happened.

Fresh revelations from the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice have intensified public interest in the mysterious death of 26-year-old Mary Habila, who was found dead at the residence of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi. A legal advice issued by the state’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has disclosed that Habila was discovered naked and lying lifeless on the floor with blood around her nose and mouth. The document concludes that only a post-mortem examination can determine the true cause of her sudden death.

The Ebonyi State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has revealed that 26-year-old Mary Habila was found naked and lifeless with blood around her nose and mouth at Senator David Umahi’s residence. The DPP says only a post-mortem examination can determine the actual cause of her sudden death, while police investigations continue.

Famous Reporters, with reference to SaharaReporters, reports that fresh details have emerged from the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice regarding the mysterious death of 26-year-old Mary Habila at the residence of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi.

The revelation is contained in the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP) legal advice dated July 15, 2026, addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Ebonyi State Police Command. The document was obtained by SaharaReporters.

According to the legal advice, Mary Habila was found naked and lying lifeless on the floor of her apartment, with blood around her nose and mouth.

The DPP stated:

“The evidence available shows that the deceased was alone at the time she was found dead in her apartment.”

The document further disclosed:

“She lay lifeless on the floor of her apartment naked with blood stains on her nose and mouth.”

The legal advice followed the police investigation into Habila’s sudden and unnatural death at the minister’s residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State, on June 27, 2026.
Furthermore, the DPP noted that investigators found no evidence suggesting that Habila had been ill before her death.

“There was no evidence that the deceased was indisposed, sick or unstable health-wise prior to her sudden death, as she was full of life at the time she returned to Uburu in company of her team,” the legal advice stated.

Consequently, the DPP raised a critical question.

“From the foregoing therefore, the question that would readily come to mind is what exactly caused the deceased’s sudden death?”

According to the Ministry of Justice, that question can only be answered through a post-mortem examination.

“This curiosity under the law can only be resolved through a post-mortem examination, so as to provide a clue to the police as to the direction of their investigation,” the DPP stated.

In its recommendation, the Ministry advised the police to either respect the wishes of Habila’s family or exercise their statutory powers to conduct an autopsy.

“It is therefore the view of this office that the police invoke their discretionary power to either respect the request of the deceased’s family or proceed with the post-mortem examination.”

Meanwhile, the legal advice has heightened nationwide interest in the case amid conflicting accounts surrounding Habila’s death.

Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that Habila’s father, Baba Habila, declined to comment while at a morgue in Ebonyi, where he had gone to receive his daughter’s body ahead of a planned burial in Nok, Kaduna State. The family had initially indicated its intention to bury her without an autopsy.

However, the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice later advised that a post-mortem examination was necessary because the available evidence could not establish the cause of death.

At the time of filing this report, Habila’s body had not been released to her family as investigators continued to consider the next steps.

The case has attracted widespread public attention following conflicting accounts of the events leading to her death.

Previous reports indicated that Habila died a day after she and another woman, Anita Baski, arrived at Senator Umahi’s residence from Kaduna State.

Police sources familiar with the investigation reportedly told SaharaReporters that the two women arrived at the residence on June 26, while Habila was found unresponsive the following morning. The matter was initially handled by the Ohaozara Divisional Police Headquarters before it was transferred to the Ebonyi State Criminal Investigation Department.

Following media reports, Senator David Umahi confirmed that Habila died at his residence. He maintained that she was a physiotherapist seconded from the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences to the Federal Ministry of Works. He also disclosed that he advised the family to consent to an autopsy to establish the cause of death.

However, police sources reportedly disputed aspects of that account, stating that investigators had not confirmed whether Habila and Anita Baski were employees of the university as claimed.

The sources further alleged that investigators received information suggesting that members of Habila’s family were being pressured not to insist on an autopsy.

As of the time of this report, police authorities have not announced the cause of Habila’s death, while investigations remain ongoing.