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The family of a 33-year-old Nigerian lawyer, Henrietta Doosuurshater Agbatar, has asked police to investigate her death, which happened just 11 months after her wedding. They suspect her husband, Sefa Awen, may have played a role due to claims of abuse, financial pressure, and an affair. Henrietta died on July 31, 2025, in Makurdi, Benue State, from what doctors called a lung infection. Her brother, Joe Agbatar, shared details on social media and sent a petition to police on August 21, 2025. As of September 25, 2025, no updates have come from the police, but the case has gained wide attention online. Read Our Last Post: Former Student Who Wore One Shirt To School Donates Hundreds Of Uniforms To His Old School In Anambra
Henrietta worked as a lawyer for a non-governmental organisation that helps people displaced by conflicts in Benue State. She was based at the International Market camp in Makurdi. Her family described her as a happy and successful woman before her marriage. On August 15, 2024, she had a traditional wedding to Sefa Awen. Two days later, on August 17, 2024, they had a church ceremony. Joe Agbatar, also a lawyer, walked her down the aisle. August 17, 2025, would have been their first anniversary.
According to the family's petition, problems started soon after the wedding. They say Sefa Awen sold Henrietta's mother's Toyota Highlander SUV, with registration number MKD 28 RC. He took the vehicle through Henrietta and promised to replace it, but he did not. Instead, he bought a Toyota Camry for himself. The family also claims he forced Henrietta to take a loan of four million naira from her NGO's funds. He used part of that money to buy land. By June or July 2025, Henrietta had decided to leave the marriage. She planned to save money for studies abroad.
The petition states that Henrietta told her family about threats and abuse from Sefa. She asked them not to get involved because she feared it would make things worse. On the day she died, Henrietta had been ill for about a week with chest pains and breathing problems. She visited doctors but continued working. Around 6:30 p.m. on July 31, Sefa picked her up from the camp. Witnesses said she looked very weak and needed help to walk. Sefa took her to their flat in Nyionyev, Makurdi. Later that night, around 10 p.m., he rushed her to Bishop Murray Hospital. Doctors there said she had died from a lung infection.
The family questions the timeline. They say Sefa did not seek medical help right away when she got sick at home, even though she asked for it. They want an autopsy to check the real cause of death. The petition went to the Assistant Inspector General of Police in Zone 4, Makurdi. It calls for a coroner's inquest and questions for Sefa under Sections 221 and 222 of the Penal Code Law of Benue State, 2004. These sections cover causing death intentionally or through negligence.
After her death, Sefa and his family moved her body to the mortuary at the Federal University of Agriculture, now Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, without telling the Agbatars. The family got a court order to stop any burial until police investigate. On August 18, 2025, Sefa's father and his brother, Pastor Victor Awen, visited the Agbatar home. Joe's mother had just left the hospital and was recovering. They told her they planned to bury Henrietta that Saturday. The Agbatars saw this as disrespectful.
Friends later found over 600 screenshots in Henrietta's diary and phone. These showed messages between Sefa and a woman named Loveth Orva, known as Love Loveth on Facebook. The chats started soon after the wedding. They proved Sefa was having an affair with Loveth, who had dated his brother David Awen before. By January 20, 2025, Sefa proposed marriage to Loveth in secret. Loveth was one of the groomsmen at the wedding, dressed as a man. Henrietta knew about the affair and kept records. Her friend Shamini Anase shared some screenshots on social media in early September 2025.
Sefa's family has denied the claims. They call them unfair and say they add to their grief. They accuse the Agbatars of taking items from the flat without permission. The Agbatars respond that it was Henrietta's home, and Sefa only moved in after the marriage.
The story broke on social media in mid-August 2025. Joe Agbatar's Facebook post on August 17, 2025, went viral. News sites like Premium Times and Linda Ikeji's Blog covered it. YouTube videos titled "The Mysterious Death of Henrietta Doosuurshater Agbatar" have thousands of views. Facebook groups with hundreds of thousands of members discuss it, focusing on domestic violence and why women stay in bad marriages.
Health experts say stress from abuse and betrayal can lead to physical problems like infections. The case highlights issues of marital abuse in Nigeria. As of September 25, 2025, police have not released any findings. The family holds prayer meetings in Makurdi and hopes for justice. They end statements with a prayer for Henrietta's soul to rest in peace.
