A neighbour of the late gospel singer, Osinachi, Grace Nnaji
on Thursday told an FCT Court in Abuja, that the singer on several occasions
begged her not to report her husband, Peter Nwachukwu’s abuse.
Nnaji, who is a tailor, told the court that she met the
singer when her husband approached her to make the wife a dress.
Nnaji while giving her testimony led by the prosecution
counsel, Aderonke Imana said she became close to the deceased as her Aco
Estate, Airport Road, Lugbe, Abuja shop and residence were close to the
Nwachukwu’s house.
“The first time in 2014, when Nwachukwu brought her for her
measurements, when they got to the house, he said, idiot come out for your
measurements”.
Nnaji said she was shocked that it was his wife he referred
to as an idiot.
She added that 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 into the wall”
”The daughter had a 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”, Nnaji alleged
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.
She said at times it will take the intervention of
neighbours before she would be allowed in and that she slept in her house for
two days, on one of the occasions he refused to allow his wife into the house.
She also testified that on one occasion he left her in
church after a vigil night and while she was trying to find her way home, she
was attacked by hoodlums who disposed her of her phone and bag.
”When Ekwueme got home and told him about the incident, he
said you are lucky you were not killed as that will have been the best thing
that could have happened to you” Nnaji alleged.
Nnaji equally said the defendant threatened that he was
going to destroy the deceased’s reputation, kill her brother and that was the
reason she was afraid to tell anyone about her ordeal.
Nnaji also 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”
Speaking about when the deceased was ill, she said she had
to sneak into her house to help her clean to avoid the defendant getting angry
and complaining about an untidy house.
”Even when she was ill, she travelled for ministration and
came back complaining about chest pain and she said she didn’t have money to
treat herself
When the witness was asked about the defendant’s nature of
his job for him to be at home always to beat the wife, she said, ”I asked
Ekwueme, she told me that her husband was her manager and that he does not have
any other job”.
The defence counsel, I. A Aliyu who was slated to
cross-examine the witness after the prosecution was through, craved the
indulgence of the court to adjourn until Friday.
The judge, Njideka Nwosu-Iheme, however, stepped down the
matter until 2:30pm.
The News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) reports that two former
employees of the deceased testified for the prosecution on Wednesday and
alleged that the defendant verbally and physically abused the late singer.
Nwachukwu is standing trial on a 23 count-charge bordering
on domestic violence and culpable homicide and is accused of being responsible
for the death of the late gospel singer who was popularly known for her song
“Ekwueme”.
Nwachukwu has been remanded at the Kuje Correctional
Facility since April after his wife’s death.
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