SOKAPU Petitions DSS Over Alleged Threats By Minister Umahi, Seeks Protection For Its President Amid Mary Habila Death Dispute | Sahara Reporters
In the petition dated August 7, 2026 and received at the DSS National Headquarters in Abuja, SOKAPU accused the minister of “criminal intimidation, threat to life, and abuse of office” against Kato.
The Southern Kaduna Peoples United Associations (SOKAPU) has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS), alleging that Minister of Works David Umahi threatened the life of its National President, Engr. Tabara Samuel Kato, following the association’s legal action over the controversial death of 26-year-old Community Health Extension Worker, Mary Habila.
In the petition dated August 7, 2026 and received at the DSS National Headquarters in Abuja, SOKAPU accused the minister of “criminal intimidation, threat to life, and abuse of office” against Kato.
The petition was filed against the backdrop of a fundamental rights enforcement suit instituted by SOKAPU at the Kaduna State High Court over Habila’s death at Umahi’s country home in Uburu, Ebonyi State, on or about June 27, 2026.
The suit, marked KDH/KAF/26/2026, names Umahi, the Attorney-General of Ebonyi State, the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police and Habila’s father, Habila Tanko Wisdom, as respondents.
SOKAPU is seeking an independent forensic autopsy, a fresh police investigation and N20 billion in damages over the death. The association has described the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death as “unexplained, controversial and unnatural.”
In the petition addressed to the DSS Director-General, Kato said Umahi called his personal WhatsApp line at about 9:39 a.m. on July 28, shortly after the legal processes had been filed and served and following media interviews concerning the case.
According to Kato, the caller identified himself as Umahi before allegedly making what he described as direct threats against him.
The SOKAPU president quoted the minister as saying: “I saw your suit against me, you need money right? I will teach you a lesson of your life such that you will learn never to mess with a person like me. I will give you 10 lawsuits. People are mourning and there you are taking me to court. I will deal with you!”
He further alleged that the minister sent him another WhatsApp message at about 10:53 p.m. the same day.
The petition quoted the message as saying: “Don’t be afraid of the market u purchased. U will hear from legal authorities soonest. Continue another funny conference with CNN. U want 20bn naira over the unfortunate death of someone that u know nothing about. U will get 20bn different suits for a lesson of ur funny life.”
Kato told the DSS that he regarded the alleged threats as a serious threat to his safety, describing them as an attempt to intimidate him for exercising his constitutional right to seek legal redress.
In the petition, he said resorting to threats and intimidation against a person pursuing legal action represented “a dangerous subversion of the rule of law, social justice, and democratic accountability.”
SOKAPU asked the DSS to conduct an immediate investigation into what it described as an “explicit threat” to Kato’s life and safety.
It also requested that Umahi be made to sign an undertaking guaranteeing that no harm would come to Kato, his family or members of the SOKAPU executive.
The association further asked for security surveillance to protect its president from what it described as “any arbitrary deployment of state power or clandestine aggression linked to this ongoing litigation.”
The petition was signed by Kato, the National President of SOKAPU.
The latest petition adds a new dimension to the dispute surrounding Habila’s death, which has generated controversy since she died at Umahi’s residence.
SOKAPU’s court action seeks an independent forensic examination by pathologists from the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria; University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan; and National Hospital, Abuja. The group also wants the Nigeria Police Force to conduct a comprehensive investigation before Habila’s remains are released for burial.
The association has alleged that Habila’s body was moved to a mortuary without a formal police report and has questioned the circumstances surrounding her death.
The controversy intensified after photographs purportedly showing blood around Habila’s mouth and nose circulated online, triggering calls for an independent autopsy.
Habila’s father had initially filed an affidavit indicating that the family did not suspect foul play and opposing an autopsy. However, the proposed burial was later halted amid public pressure and calls for an independent investigation.
The development also followed an exchange of correspondence over the proposed autopsy and where the investigation should be conducted.
In a July 17 letter, Umahi’s lawyer, Roy O. Nweze (SAN), asked Habila’s father to confirm within 48 hours whether he consented to an autopsy.
In a July 20 response addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, the father’s lawyer, K.I. Yusuf, confirmed his client’s consent but requested that the investigation be transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The lawyer stated: “That our client hereby agrees and consent for an autopsy on the body of Late Mary Habila subject to the transfer of the case to the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, FCT.”
The letter said the move was intended to provide “transparency, fairness” and ensure that “the true cause and manner of the deceased death are conclusively established.”
The lawyer further requested that Habila’s corpse be properly inspected before being handed over to an independent pathologist, citing the need for “justice and fairness to all the parties involved.”
Sources familiar with the matter subsequently told SaharaReporters that Habila’s body was moved to the National Hospital in Abuja.
Umahi has acknowledged that Habila died at his residence but has consistently maintained that he supports a forensic autopsy to establish the cause of death. He has also denied wrongdoing in connection with the incident.
The DSS petition follows an earlier public accusation by SOKAPU that Umahi threatened Kato over the lawsuit.
In July, the association said the minister had called Kato after learning about the legal action and a television interview concerning the case. Kato then publicly alleged that Umahi told him: “I will teach you a lesson of your life” and “I will deal with you.”
SOKAPU subsequently condemned the alleged remarks as intimidation designed to discourage it from pursuing legal action, insisting that taking the matter to court was a constitutional right.
The association also called on President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to take note of the alleged threats against its leadership.