By Adebayo Obajemu
The Nigeria Police Force has reportedly transferred the investigation into the controversial death of Mary Habila, a young woman said to have worked at the residence of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, from the Ebonyi State Police Command to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The development comes amid growing public interest and scrutiny over the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death.
Sources familiar with the matter said a police signal had been sent to the Ebonyi State Police Command directing officers handling the case to hand over all investigation files to authorities in the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the sources, Habila’s body is also expected to be moved to Abuja, where a forensic autopsy is likely to be conducted as part of efforts to determine the cause of her death.
The transfer follows reports that the Minister of Works allegedly sought to have both the police investigation and the planned autopsy moved from Ebonyi State to Abuja after public attention intensified over the case.
Sources further claimed that Umahi became dissatisfied with the manner in which the Ebonyi State Police Command was handling the investigation, particularly after details of the case began circulating in the public domain.
It was also alleged that the minister had expected the matter to be handled more discreetly at the state level, but Governor Francis Nwifuru reportedly insisted that the police conduct a thorough and impartial investigation to determine whether any foul play was involved.
“The governor insisted that the police should carry out a proper investigation into the matter instead of trying to sweep it under the carpet,” a source familiar with the development said.
The sources also disclosed that the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, CP Hope Urunwa Okafor, was summoned to the Force Headquarters in Abuja earlier this week over the handling of the case.
According to the sources, she came under pressure over the investigation but declined to take any action that could compromise its integrity.
The circumstances surrounding Habila’s death have continued to generate public debate, with the case also reportedly exposing political tensions between Senator Umahi and his successor, Governor Nwifuru, over the handling of the investigation.
Neither the Nigeria Police Force nor the offices of the Minister of Works and the Ebonyi State Government had officially commented on the reported transfer of the investigation as of the time of filing this report.