By Adesina Wahab, Henry Ojelu & John Alechenu
Following the objection of the father of late Miss Mary Habila for an autopsy to be carried out on his daughter’s corpse, a legal practitioner, Mr Liborous Oshoma has said that under the Coroner’s System Laws of Nigerian states (including Ebonyi State) and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), the government has a legal obligation to investigate any sudden, unnatural, or suspicious death.
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Mary Habila, a nurse died on June 27, 2026 at the Ebonyi residence of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi. The Minister had called for an autopsy to be carried out to determine the cause of death which the police had insisted on doing but the father of the deceased, Mr Tanko Habila Wisdom said the family was not interested in any autopsy and the police should release the remains of her daughter for burial.
Stating the position of the law, a legal practitioner, Mr Liborous Oshoma argued that under the Nigerian criminal law, a family or father does not have the legal right to block an autopsy if the state suspects a crime. According to him, while it is legal for a father to express his wishes and file an affidavit, the state holds the ultimate legal authority to override his request.
