Justice has finally been served in the case of late gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Wuse Zone 2, sentenced her husband, Peter Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Nwosu-Iheme held that the prosecution had successfully proved the charge of culpable homicide against Peter Nwachukwu beyond reasonable doubt. The court found that his actions directly led to the death of his wife on April 8, 2022.
Peter Nwachukwu was arraigned on June 3, 2022, by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation on behalf of the Federal Government, facing a 23-count charge. The charges included culpable homicide punishable by death, spousal battery, criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, and other related offences.
During the trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two of the couple’s children who testified as PW4 and PW5. The prosecution also tendered 25 documentary exhibits before the court. In defence, Nwachukwu testified, called four witnesses, and submitted four exhibits.
Before the sentencing, Nwachukwu’s counsel, Reginald Nwali, pleaded with the court for leniency. However, prosecution counsel, Mrs. Aderonke Imala, urged the court to apply the full weight of the law.
In her ruling, Justice Nwosu-Iheme sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1 (culpable homicide) and imposed two years' imprisonment each on Counts 2, 3, 8, 9, 12, 13, and 18.
The verdict marks the conclusion of a case that gripped the nation and intensified public discourse on domestic violence and the protection of spouses within the home.
