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| Peter Nwachukwu |
Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on April 28, 2025, sentenced Peter Nwachukwu, husband of the late gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.
He was found guilty of culpable homicide in connection with Osinachi’s death on April 8, 2022.
The court ruled that the prosecution had successfully met the legal burden of proof, establishing that Nwachukwu’s actions directly caused his wife’s death.
Peter Nwachukwu was arraigned on June 3, 2022, facing a 23-count charge including culpable homicide, criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, and spousal battery.
The prosecution, led by Mrs. Aderonke Imala from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, presented 17 witnesses-including two of the couple’s children-and submitted 25 exhibits to support their case.
The defendant testified for the defence and further called four other witnesses and tendered four exhibits in his defence.
Shortly before sentencing the defendant, counsel for Nwachukwu, Reginald Nwali, in his allocutus pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgment, while the prosecuting counsel, Mrs Aderonke Imala, urged the court to give force to the law as stipulated.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme 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 on Count 11, while he was fined the sum of N500,000 and N200,000 respectively on Counts 6 and 7, respectively.
The case drew national attention, sparking widespread discussions on domestic violence and the protection of vulnerable family members in Nigeria. Initially, Osinachi’s death was believed to be from throat cancer, but subsequent investigations and testimonies revealed a pattern of abuse leading to her demise.
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