Neighbor Reveal Osinachi Begged Her Not To Expose Her Husband’s Abuse
Grace Nnaji, a neighbor of the late gospel performer Osinachi, testified on Thursday in an Abuja FCT Court that the singer often urged her not to report her husband Peter Nwachukwu’s abuse.
The singer and Ms. Nnaji, who is also a dressmaker, met when the singer’s husband asked her to sew an outfit for her.
Ms. Nnaji said during her testimony that she became friendly with the deceased since the Nwachukwu family’s home was close to her shop and dwelling in the Aco Estate, Airport Road, Lugbe, Abuja. Her testimony was led by the prosecution’s attorney, Aderonke Imana.
When Nwachukwu brought her for her measurement for the first time in 2014, he called her, “Idiot, come out for your measurements,” as soon as they arrived at the residence.
Ms. Nnaji expressed her surprise at the fact that he called his wife an idiot.
She continued by saying that the deceased confided in her that the defendant always hit her without warning.
“Ekwueme, as I used to call her, came to my shop one day with injuries on her daughter’s head and she informed me that the defendant shoved her and the child into the wall.”
“The daughter had fever at the same time and I was the one that gave Ekwueme money to buy drugs from the pharmacy to give her daughter
“Another time she came and showed me injuries on her back and told me that Peter kicked her on her back with his leg and she slammed into the wall with her chest.
“One day she ran to my house at about 5am and said that the previous night she locked her door and he kicked it open with his leg and proceeded to hit her on her chest.
“She fell to the floor and remained there crying until she slept off,” Ms Nnaji alleged.
She said that the defendant had a practice of shutting out his wife whenever she went to church, causing her to spend hours at the door banging.
She claimed that on occasion, it required the intervention of neighbors before she was permitted inside, and that on one occasion when he wouldn’t let her inside, she stayed there for two days.
She further stated that when he once left her at the church after a vigil, she was accosted by thugs who stole her bag and phone as she tried to find her way home.
“You are lucky you were not killed as it would have been the nicest thing that could have happened to you,” he stated when Osinachi told him about the incident after returning home. Nnaji claimed,
Ms. Nnaji likewise said that the defendant had threatened to kill her brother and ruin the deceased’s reputation, which is why she had been frightened to inform anybody about her ordeal.
She added that the singer refused to follow her advice to report the assault to the police, her family, her church, and a human rights radio station.
She pleaded with me not to go to the church when I informed her I was going to report there, claiming that her husband would change.
I.A. Aliyu, the defense attorney who was going to cross-examine the witness once the prosecution finished, begged the judge to adjourn until Friday.
Njideka Nwosu-Iheme, the judge, deferred ruling on the case until 2:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, two former coworkers of the dead gave testimony in the prosecution’s favor and said that the defendant always physically and verbally abused the late singer.
Mr. Nwachukwu is suspected of being responsible for the death of the late gospel singer osinachi best known for her song “Ekwueme” and is facing a 23-count indictment involving domestic violence and criminal homicide.
Since his wife’s passing in April, Mr. Nwachukwu has been detained at the Kuje Correctional Facility.
