The federal government has filed a 23-count charge against Mr Peter Nwachukwu, the husband of the late popular gospel artist, Osinachi, who died after an alleged prolonged assault by her husband.
The charge marked CR/199/2022 was filed at the registry of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice under the Violence Against Persons (VAP) Prohibition Act, 2015.
In the said charge, the prosecution alleged that the late Osinachi was forcefully ejected from her matrimonial home by her husband, contrary to the Violence Against Persons, VAP (Prohibition) Act, 2015.
It was entered before the High Court by the Head, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Department of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Ministry of Justice, Mrs Yewande Gbola-Awopetun.
The prosecution alleged that the defendant deprived the deceased of her personal liberty by restraining her movement and locking her up in the house.
It further accused the defendant of subjecting the deceased to emotional, verbal and psychological abuse, contrary to section 14(1) of the VAP Act, 2015.
The prosecution informed the court that investigations revealed that the defendant denied Osinachi access to her money for medication and household necessities and thereby forced her into begging and borrowing.
The federal government equally alleged that Osinachi’s husband forcefully isolated and separated her from her family by preventing her mother and siblings from visiting her matrimonial home.
Nwachukwu was further charged with cruelly beating his children, recording their cries, and playing it on his phone.
Some of the counts in the charge read: “That you, Peter Nwachukwu, 56, male, on the 8th of April, 2022, at Aco Estate, opposite the police station, Lugbe, Abuja, FCT, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did commit an offence, to wit: culpable homicide punishable with death, in that you caused the death of Mrs Osinachi Nwachukwu by your various acts of violence and aggravated assault with the knowledge that her death would be the probable consequence of your acts.”
“That you, Peter Nwachukwu, male, sometime between 14th November 2009 and April 2022 at Aco Estate, opposite the police station, Lugbe, Abuja, FCT, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did commit an offence to wit: emotional, verbal and psychological abuse on Mrs Osinachi Nwachukwu (deceased) by humiliating her and making utterances like ‘you are smelling,’ ‘you are mad,’ to her in the presence of her music crew members.”
