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The officials of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) have filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Kaduna against the Minister of Public Works, David Umahi, over the death of a nurse, Mary Habila, who was part of the minister’s medical team.
In its lawsuit, the association asked the court to order an autopsy to determine the exact cause of Habila’s death and sought damages of ₦20 billion from the minister, alleging that her death was caused by a breach of duty of care while she was under his custody.
Mary Habila reportedly died on June 27 at the minister’s residence, a development that sparked widespread public concern and renewed calls for a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
Apart from Umahi, SOKAPU named Habila Tanko Hikmah, father of the deceased, the Attorney General of Ebonyi State, and the Commissioner of Police of Ebonyi State as defendants in the lawsuit.
According to the court filing, the association wants the court to compel the relevant authorities to conduct a post-mortem examination of the deceased to determine the cause of death through an independent medical process.
This legal action was taken in the midst of ongoing case developments. The Ebonyi State Police Command earlier stated that the autopsy would proceed despite reports that some family members of the deceased were opposed to the procedure.
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Umahi has also written to the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police requesting that an autopsy be carried out to assist investigations into the circumstances surrounding the nurse’s death.
The lawsuit is expected to raise legal issues related to duty of care, accountability and the judicial process in determining the cause of death in cases involving the public interest.
As of the filing of this report, the Federal High Court had not set a start date for the trial.
