Justice Nwosu-Iheme of the FCT High Court, Wuse Zone 2, in Abuja, yesterday, sentenced Peter Nwachukwu, the husband of the late gospel singer Osinachi, to death by hanging.

Nwachukwu was found guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of his wife on April 8, 2022. The judge ruled that the prosecution had proven the burden of proof required by law and subsequently found the defendant guilty.

Nwachukwu was arraigned on June 3, 2022, by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), on behalf of the Federal Government, on a 23-count charge.

The charge of culpable homicide is punishable by death, along with charges of criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, criminal intimidation of children, spousal battery, among others.

During the trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two children of the late Osinachi, who testified as the fourth and fifth prosecution witnesses, PW4 and PW5, respectively.

The prosecution also tendered 25 documents as exhibits before the court. The defendant testified in his defence and called four other witnesses, tendering four exhibits.

Shortly before sentencing, the defendant’s counsel, Reginald Nwali, in his allocutus, pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgment. Similarly, the prosecuting counsel, Mrs Aderonke Imala, urged the court to uphold the law as stipulated.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1, while he was sentenced to two years imprisonment on Counts 2, 3, 8, 9, 12, 13, and 18.

The court sentenced the defendant to six months imprisonment on Count 10, three years imprisonment on Count 11, and fined him N500,000 and N200,000, respectively, on Counts 6 and 7.