The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Monday, sentenced, Peter Nwachukwu, the widower of the late gospel singer Osinachi, to death by hanging.
Mr Nwachukwu was found guilty of culpable homicide, with the court adjudging him to cause the death of the deceased (his wife) on 8 April 2022.
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The judge held that the prosecution discharged the burden of proof placed on it by the law and subsequently found the defendant guilty.
Mr Nwachukwu was arraigned on 3 June 2022 by the Office of Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF) on 23 charges, including culpable homicide punishable with death.
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Other charges include criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, criminal intimidation of children, spousal battery.
During the trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two children of the late Osinachi, who testified as fourth prosecution and fifth prosecution witnesses.
The prosecution also tendered 25 documents as exhibits before the court.
The defendant testified in the defence of himself, called four other witnesses and tendered four exhibits.
Shortly before sentencing, the defence lawyer Reginald Nwali in his “allocutus” (plea for mercy), pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgement.
But the prosecution counsel, Aderonke Imala, urged the court to give force to the law as stipulated.
The judge subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1, while he was sentenced to two years imprisonment each on Counts 2, 3, 8,9, 12, 13, and 18.
The court sentenced the defendant to six months imprisonment on Count 10, three years imprisonment in Count 11, while he was fined the sum of N500,000 and N200,000 respectively on Counts 6 and 7 respectively.
Osinachi died on April 8, and many of her colleagues accused her husband of subjecting her to domestic violence, leading to her death.
The 42-year-old songstress was a lead singer at the Dunamis International Gospel Centre.
The singer shot into the limelight with the hit, “Ekwueme”, which she sang alongside Prospa Ochimana.
It was initially reported that the singer died of throat cancer. Still, shortly after the news of her death went viral, her family and friends lamented that her union with Peter Nwachukwu was a violent one.
Mr Nwachukwu was arrested by the police in Abuja on 11 April 2022, after Osinachi’s younger brother reported a case of culpable homicide against him.
He then appeared before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on 27 May 2022 for the first time, where he was charged with 23 counts.
In June 2022, Mr Nwachukwu said his wife died from lung cancer.
He also claimed that he never hit his late wife, contrary to public opinion.
The father-of-four said this while being escorted to the courtroom in Abuja High court for arraignment on Friday.
He said, “Let me tell the whole world, I have suffered a lot. I have been abandoned. What killed my wife was cancer of the lungs; I didn’t hit my wife. Cancer of the lungs killed my wife, Osinachi Nwachukwu, so I’m suffering for what I do not know!”
He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in June 2022.
After the defendant’s arraignment in June, the judge, Mrs Nwosu-Iheme remanded him Kuje correctional centre in Abuja.
The judge ordered that Mr Nwachukwu be remanded at the correctional facility, while the trial was adjourned to 16 June from noon and June 17 by 9 a.m.
The charges
The case with charge number CR/199/2022 was filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on May 20, 2022, by the Head, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Department of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Ministry of Justice, Yewande Gbola-Awopetun.
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He was charged under sections 104 and 379 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, by the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Mr Nwachukwu was charged with culpable homicide contrary to section 221 of the Penal Code, which is punishable with death.
The federal government alleged that the defendant deprived the deceased of her liberty by restraining her movement and locking her up in the house.
The prosecution also accused the defendant of subjecting the deceased to emotional, verbal and psychological abuse, contrary to section 14(1) of the VAP Act, 2015.
(NAN)
