A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, has sentenced Peter Nwachukwu, husband of late gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.

The presiding judge, Justice Nwosu-Iheme, delivered the judgment today, April 28, after finding Nwachukwu guilty of culpable homicide which led to the death of his wife on April 8, 2022.

Justice Nwosu-Iheme held that the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, establishing that Nwachukwu’s actions were responsible for the tragic death of the celebrated singer.

Nwachukwu was first arraigned on June 3, 2022, by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF) 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, among others.

During the trial, the prosecution presented 17 witnesses, including two of the late singer’s children, identified as Prosecution Witness 4 (PW4) and Prosecution Witness 5 (PW5). The court also admitted 25 documentary exhibits tendered by the prosecution.

In his defence, Nwachukwu testified personally and called four other witnesses, while presenting four exhibits.

Before sentencing, Nwachukwu’s counsel, Reginald Nwali, pleaded for leniency, while the prosecution counsel, Mrs. Aderonke Imana, urged the court to uphold the full weight of the law.

In addition to the death sentence on Count 1, Justice Nwosu-Iheme sentenced Nwachukwu to two years’ imprisonment each on Counts 2, 3, 8, 9, 12, 13, and 18. He was also handed a six-month jail term on Count 10, three years on Count 11, and fines of N500,000 and N200,000 on Counts 6 and 7 respectively.

The case, which gripped national attention since Osinachi’s death, finally reached its legal conclusion with today’s ruling.