Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development Solomon Dalung has disputed claims about the background of the late Mary Habila, saying his personal inquiries found no evidence to support reports that she had been a street girl picked up from Kaduna.
Speaking during an interview on SYMFONI TV on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, Dalung said he investigated the claims by speaking with people who knew Habila, stressing that public discussions about the deceased should be guided by verified facts rather than speculation.
“The story about her was that she was a street girl picked up from Kaduna,” Dalung said, adding, “That was not true.”
According to him, his findings showed that Habila came from a family in Kaduna State, trained as a nurse, and secured employment through legitimate procedures before later serving in government. He said she worked at the Federal University of Health Sciences before being posted to the Office of the Minister of Works.
Dalung urged the public to avoid spreading unverified claims that could damage Habila’s reputation and called for a transparent and credible process to establish the circumstances surrounding her death.
