Late Osinachi Nwachukwu thought her abusive husband would change – Neighbour tells court

The trial of Mr. Peter Nwachukwu, husband of deceased gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, continued on Thursday, October 13, with a neighbor, Grace Nnaji, telling a Federal Capital Territory Court that the singer, on many occasions begged her not to report her husband, Peter Nwachukwu’s aleged abuse as she believed he would change someday.

Nwachukwu, who is standing trial on a 23-count charge bordering on domestic violence and culpable homicide, is accused of being responsible for the death of the late gospel singer in April.

While giving her testimony before the court, Nnaji, a tailor, said she met the singer when her husband approached her to make a dress for her. She stated that she became close to the deceased as her shop and apartment were close to the Nwachukwu’s house. She said the deceased confided in her that the defendant was always hitting her at the slightest provocation.

“Ekwueme, as I used to call her, came to my shop one day with injuries on her daughter’s head and she told me that the defendant pushed her and the child against 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 and she slammed into the wall with her chest.

One day, she ran to my house at about 5am and said 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 on the floor and remained there, crying until she slept off.”Nnaji said

She further said the defendant was in the habit of locking his wife out whenever she went to church and she would be at the gate knocking for hours. According to Nnaji, neighbours would have to come out to plead before Mr. Nwachukwu would allow his wife inside their apartment. She also told the court that Osinachi slept in her house for two days after her husband refused to allow her into the house.

Nnaji alleged that Mr. Nwachukwu threatened that he was going to destroy Osinachi’s reputation and kill her brother and that was the reason she was afraid to tell anyone about her ordeal. She said when she told the singer to report the abuse to the police, her family, church and also a human rights radio, she refused.

“When I told her that I was going to report to the church, she begged me not to, saying that her husband will change” she said

Speaking about when the deceased was ill, she said she had to sneak into her house to help her clean the house to avoid the defendant getting angry and complaining about an untidy house.