Woman sentenced to death for killing co-wife, seven step children

State High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital has sentenced a woman, Mrs Agnes Nwefuru, to death by hanging for killing her co-wife and seven children.

The Plaintiff, Ebonyi State Government had in a suit no.HAW/13C/2017, brought against the defendant, Agnes Nwefuru, accused her of setting ablaze the House of her co-wife, Felicia Nwefuru, which took her life and the lives of her seven children.

The plaintiff contended that the accused also burnt her own house during the evil act as a camouflage.

The plaintiff further contended that the accused removed all her belongings and that of her children and took them to a safe place outside the house before committing the act.


Recall that in 2017, eight members of a family were burnt to death following a mysterious fire that engulfed their residential house around 3am in the wee hours of the night at Ogboji community in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Two persons survived the inferno: the husband, Mr. Sylvanus Nwefuru and Miss Ukamaka Nwefuru, one of the Felicia’s daughters.

The fire razed the two hatched houses in the compound.

Delivering the judgement, the presiding judge, Justice Uwabunkonye Onwosi, declared that the plaintiff proved that the defendant was guilty of the murder charge preferred against her.


“Nwefuru Agnes is found guilty of murder and is hereby convicted. The term of her sentence is that she be hanged by the neck until she is dead,” the judge.