Alleged Murder: Court dismisses Osinachi’s husband’s no-case submission

A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, has dismissed the no-case submission filed by Peter Nwachukwu, the husband of the late gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu.

The ruling, delivered by Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme, held that the prosecution had established a case against the defendant, Peter Nwachukwu.

The Federal Government had filed a 23-count charge against Nwachukwu over the death of Osinachi, including culpable homicide punishable by death, assault occasioning harm and intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm.

The trial, which spanned from June 20, 2022, to March 10, 2023, saw the prosecution present 17 witnesses in an effort to build its case.

Osinachi, a renowned gospel singer, passed away on April 8, 2022. Her death was initially attributed to throat cancer, but family members and friends began to harbour doubts after alleging a link between it and her husband’s alleged domestic abuse, which ultimately led to his arrest.

However, the National Hospital in Abuja issued an autopsy report countering claims of violence, stating the cause of death as “generalised organ pallor; bilateral leg swelling; fluid in the sac containing the heart; tumour deposits in and on the heart, lungs, and kidneys; massively enlarged heart; and fluid around the lungs, which restrict breathing.”

Following the autopsy report, Nwachukwu’s counsel, I.A. Aliyu, filed a no-case submission, arguing that the evidence presented by medical practitioners cleared his client of charges related to culpable homicide and domestic violence.

Aliyu said that the autopsy attributed Osinachi’s death to “outgrowth tumours, which resulted in cardiac tamponade, the primary cause of death and abnormal growth of tissue (cancer), which is the secondary cause of death”.

Despite Aliyu’s arguments, Justice Nwosu-Iheme dismissed the no-case submission, asserting that Nwachukwu must present a defence.

Consequently, the court ordered the remand of the defendant at the Kuje correctional facility pending further hearings.