By Nkechinyere Ewa
Anita Baaki one of the closest friends and former roommate of late Mary Habila, has spoken publicly about the young woman’s final hours, describing the events leading up to the discovery of her lifeless body in a sworn affidavit.
The account is contained in an affidavit deposed before the High Court of Justice, Ebonyi State, by Anita Baaki, a civil servant who said she worked with the late Habila under the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi.
Baaki stated that she and Habila had been close friends for about three years and often shared the same room whenever they were in Abuja.
According to the affidavit, they travelled from Abuja to Ebonyi State on June 24, 2026, as members of the Minister’s entourage. On June 26, they were accommodated in separate but adjoining rooms in the staff chalet at the Minister’s residence in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area.
Recounting her last interaction with Habila, Baaki said the deceased returned after having her hair done and visited her room to show off her new hairstyle.
“After we joked about it, she told me she was tired and wanted to take a shower before going to bed. That was the last time I saw her that night,” she stated in the affidavit.
Baaki said she became alarmed the following morning when Habila did not come out of her room as expected. Several attempts to reach her by phone were unsuccessful because the calls did not connect.
She said she went to Habila’s room, knocked repeatedly, but received no response. She discovered the room was locked from the inside.
Suspecting that something was wrong, she asked a domestic staff member to search the premises while she alerted other colleagues. When the search proved unsuccessful, staff members forced open the door.
According to the affidavit, Habila was found lying on the floor near the door. She was immediately rushed to the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, where doctors reportedly confirmed her dead on arrival.
Baaki stressed that her affidavit was made voluntarily and without any form of pressure or inducement.
“I was never induced, coerced or influenced in any way or with anything by anybody to make these depositions,” she declared.
She said the affidavit was deposed for official and record purposes and affirmed that its contents were true to the best of her knowledge in line with the Oaths Act.
The affidavit is the latest development in the investigation into Habila’s death, which has attracted widespread public attention and generated differing accounts.
The Ebonyi State Police Command and the legal team of the Minister of Works have maintained that an autopsy is necessary to establish the actual cause of death and aid ongoing investigations, while some members of the deceased’s family have reportedly objected to the procedure.
As the investigation continues, Baaki’s sworn testimony provides one of the most detailed firsthand accounts yet of Mary Habila’s final known hours before she was found unconscious and later pronounced dea
d at the hospital.