By Kolawole Omotola Olaide
The Uburu Traditional Rulers Council in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State has announced a community-wide spiritual cleansing exercise and imposed a dawn-to-dusk curfew following the death of Mary Habila, whose passing at the residence of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has continued to attract national attention.
According to a public notice issued by the council, Thursday, July 23, 2026, has been set aside for the traditional “Isu Arua” cleansing ceremony, a cultural rite aimed at restoring peace, unity, and spiritual renewal within the community.
The notice, dated July 21, 2026, was signed by Chief Nicholas Odi, Chief Media Officer of the Uburu Traditional Rulers Council and President General of Eweze Uburu Autonomous Community, on behalf of the council led by HRH Eze Lazarus N. Umahi.
To ensure the successful conduct of the exercise, the council directed that a curfew would be enforced from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the scheduled day. During the period, all commercial activities, markets, shops, social gatherings, ceremonies, parties, and other public events within Uburu are expected to remain suspended.
Traditional leaders appealed to residents, indigenes, visitors, and members of the public to comply fully with the directive, describing the exercise as an important cultural tradition intended to promote harmony and spiritual cleansing across the community.
The development comes weeks after the death of Mary Habila at Senator Umahi’s residence in Uburu. The incident remains under investigation by the police and has generated widespread public interest.
Senator David Umahi has maintained that the deceased was a physiotherapist seconded from the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS) to the Federal Ministry of Works, where she was serving at the time of the incident.
