Mary Habila Died of Cardiac Arrest After Living With Hole in Her Heart — Family

The family of the late Mary Habila, popularly known as Mara, has revealed that the 26-year-old physiotherapist lived with a heart condition caused by a hole in her heart before her death in June 2026.

The family disclosed this in a brief biography released following her burial in her hometown of Nok, Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, on Friday, August 21, 2026.

According to the family, Habila had lived with the heart condition before she died from cardiac arrest.

Her death had generated public attention and controversy over the circumstances surrounding her final days, particularly because she died at the private residence of the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, in Ebonyi State.

The development triggered calls from members of the public for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.

The family’s biography, however, focused on Habila’s life, documenting her childhood, education, professional career and the health challenges she experienced before her death.

Habila was a physiotherapist attached to the office of the Minister of Works before her death.

Her burial in Kaduna followed weeks of public interest in the circumstances surrounding her passing.

The family’s account provides additional information about her medical history, stating that she had been living with a heart condition linked to a hole in her heart.

The family said the condition eventually contributed to cardiac arrest, which resulted in her death.

Her passing at the age of 26 was met with grief from relatives, friends and colleagues who remembered her as a young professional with a promising career.

The controversy surrounding her death had previously led to demands for a post-mortem examination to establish the cause of death.

The Ebonyi State Police Command had also indicated that a post-mortem examination would be conducted as part of efforts to determine the circumstances surrounding her death.

Habila’s family has now provided its account of her medical condition as part of the biography released after her burial.

The disclosure is expected to provide further context about the health challenges she faced before her death, although questions surrounding the full circumstances of her final moments had previously attracted public attention.

She was laid to rest in Nok, Kaduna State, where family members, friends and community members gathered to pay their final respects.