…case transferred to SCID, as Ebonyi authorities maintain silence
By Our Correspondent
A young woman identified as Mary Habbila has died under mysterious circumstances inside the country residence of Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, multiple police sources have revealed.
According to investigations, Habbila, who hailed from Kaduna State, was found lifeless in the minister’s home on the morning of June 27, 2026, barely 24 hours after she and another woman, Anita Baski, also from Kaduna, were reportedly brought to the residence.
The incident, which occurred in the minister’s Uburu hometown, has so far been shrouded in secrecy. Both the Ebonyi State Government and the Ebonyi State Police Command have declined public comment on the matter, despite growing questions about the circumstances surrounding Habbila’s death.
How it happened
Police sources familiar with the case told reporters that Habbila and Baski arrived at Senator Umahi’s residence on June 26, 2026. The sources alleged that the two women were brought in from Kaduna State to “attend to the minister.”
By the next morning, Habbila was discovered unresponsive inside the residence. The situation prompted an immediate response from the minister’s security aides.
Jonathan Bawado, a police officer who serves as Senator Umahi’s Personal Assistant and previously worked as his Aide-de-Camp during Umahi’s tenure as Governor of Ebonyi State, was said to have alerted medical personnel after Habbila was found.
According to the sources, a doctor and an ambulance were dispatched to the residence shortly after. The Divisional Police Officer of Ohaozara Police Division, CSP Tobechukwu Godwin, was also notified and arrived at the scene.
It was further learnt that Professor Chihurumnanya Alo, Consultant Public Health Physician, Infectious Diseases Specialist and Chief Medical Director of the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, DUFUTH, Uburu, was alerted about the incident.
Following preliminary assessment at the residence, Habbila’s body was conveyed to a mortuary by police operatives. The identification tag found on her body was reportedly retrieved by the DPO and handed over to the Ebonyi State Police Command as evidence.
Investigation moves to SCID
The case, which initially began at the Ohaozara Divisional Police Headquarters, has since been transferred to a higher level for further investigation.
A senior police officer in Ebonyi State, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed the development to newsmen.
“The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Abakaliki,” the officer said.
As of the time of filing this report, investigators at the SCID were said to be working to establish the exact cause of death and the circumstances that led to Habbila being found dead less than a day after her arrival.
Anita Baski, the second woman who arrived with Habbila, is also understood to be assisting investigators with information.
Silence from authorities
Despite the transfer of the case to the SCID, both the Ebonyi State Government and the state police public relations office have maintained silence, raising concerns among residents and civil society groups in the state.
Senator Umahi, who currently serves as Minister of Works in President Bola Tinubu’s administration, has not issued any public statement regarding the incident. Efforts to reach his aides for comment were unsuccessful as of press time.
The death has sparked discussions in Uburu and across Ebonyi State, with many residents calling for a transparent investigation to determine what led to the young woman’s death.
Police authorities say investigations are ongoing and that more details will be made public once the autopsy and other forensic processes are concluded.
For now, the death of Mary Habbila remains one of the most talked-about incidents in Ebonyi, as Nigerians await answers on what exactly transpired inside one of the country’s most prominent political residences.
