*Gives him 7-day ultimatum to step aside for proper criminal investigation of face mass protests
*Says his resignation will give way for security agencies to remand him for questioning
*As NSP disown “Mary Habila” say such name not in its database
*Cautions public office holders to exercise due diligence in associating with individuals with regulated professions
By Godwin Ogar
A group operating under the aegis of Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has, on Wednesday July 15, 2026 asked the Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi to step aside for proper investigation of the death of one Mary Habila in his residence.
The group in a statement dated Wednesday, July 15, 2026 and signed by its National President, Isa Abubakar gave Umahi a seven-day-ultimatum to resign from his office over the death of the 26-year-old woman for proper criminal investigation or face mass protests.
The group called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately suspend the Minister from office and give way for the police and other security agencies to take him into custody for questioning over the incident.
“While we acknowledge the Minister’s recent public statements demanding an autopsy, we reject any investigation conducted under his influence or within facilities tied to his administration,” Abubakar stated.
“We demand an independent, intentionally witnessed autopsy to scientifically determine the exact cause of Mary Habila’s death, specifically checking for signs of physical violence, sexual assault or forced substance ingestion,” the NYCN President stated adding that the group’s demand was “non-negotiable.”
It would be recalled that Mary Habila, popularly known as Mara, a 26-year-old physiotherapist from Kaduna State was allegedly found naked and dead with blood stains around her mouth and nose on June 27, 2027 at the country home of Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi.
Multiple reports indicate that the Ebonyi State Director of Public Prosecutions attested to the fact that she died at the Minister, Dave Umahi’s quarters in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state.
While some reports claim that Habila had arrived from Kaduna State alongside another girl whose name is given as Anita Baski an indigene of Benue State on June 26, the Minister of Works has claimed that the two girls were his personal physiotherapists working with the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences seconded to the Ministry of Works and were in his residence for official purposes.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy, (NSP) has disclosed that the name “Mary Habila” does not appear in its database of registered physiotherapists in the country.
The NSP’s position was made known on Thursday July 16, 2026, in a statement signed by the Society’s Public Relations Team.
According to the statement, “Following verification through the appropriate regulatory channels, the name “Mary Habila,” as stated, does not appear on the database of registered physiotherapists.
“This development underscores why it is essential that public officials, especially those occupying the highest levels of government, exercise due diligence before presenting or associating individuals with regulated professions.
“Public office carries with it a responsibility to ensure that information placed before Nigerians is accurate and verifiable. The Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy (NSP) has consistently maintained that professional identity is not a matter of assumption or public perception; it is a matter of verifiable fact.
“Where questions arise, they should be resolved through the appropriate regulatory processes, not through speculation or unverified claims,” the body of physiotherapists maintained.
In a related development, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, has written a letter to the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, CP Anthonia Adaku Uche-Anya, seeking to disallow the release of the body of the late 26-year-old girl who died in his residence, Mary Habila for burial.
The acknowledgement copy of the letter in possession of the Nigerian Pilot newspaper shows that it was received at the Commissioner’s office on Wednesday July 15, 2026.
In the letter written on behalf of the Minister to the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State, Umahi’s Counsel, Roy O. U. Nwaeze (SAN) said “In view of the circumstances surrounding the death of the deceased, and in the interest of justice, transparency and the due administration of criminal justice, our client respectfully requests that the Nigeria Police Force initiates a comprehensive autopsy to be conducted on the remains of the deceased by qualified forensic pathologists for the purpose of scientifically and independently ascertaining the actual cause and circumstances of her death.”
“Our client further requests that the remains of the deceased should not be released to any person, including her next of kin, Mr. Tanko Habila Wisdom of Sabon Gari, Nok, Jaba Local Government Area, Kaduna State until the autopsy has been duly conducted and all necessary investigative procedures relating thereto have been concluded,” Nwaeze wrote on behalf of Roy and Associates, Solicitors to the Minister.
