(L-R): The late Osinachi and husband
By Edith Nwapi
A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Monday sentenced the husband of late Dunamis Church gospel singer, Osinachi, Peter Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.
Nwachukwu was found guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of the deceased (his wife) on April 8, 2022.
Delivering judgment, the trial judge, Justice Nwosu-Iheme, held that the prosecution had proven the burden of proof placed on it by the law and subsequently sentenced him accordingly.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nwachukwu was arraigned on a 23-count charge on June 3, 2022 by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), on behalf of the Federal Government.
The charges bordered on culpable homicide punishable with death; criminal intimidation; cruelty to children; criminal intimidation of children; spousal battery, among others.
In the course of the trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two children of the late Osinachi.
The children testified as fourth prosecution and fifth prosecution witnesses, PW4 and PW5, respectively.
The prosecution also tendered 25 documents as exhibits before the court.
The defendant testified for the defence and further called four other witnesses and tendered four exhibits in his defence.
Shortly before sentencing, the counsel for the defendant, Reginald Nwali, in his allocutus pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgment.
However, the counsel for the prosecution, Mrs Aderonke Imala, urged the court to give force to the law as stipulated.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1, and sentenced him to two years imprisonment each on Counts 2, 3, 8,9, 12, 13, and 18.
The court further sentenced the convict to six months imprisonment on Count 10, three years imprisonment on Count 11, fined him for N500,000 and N200,000, respectively, on Counts 6 and 7.
According to the judge, all the sentences are to run concurrently.(NAN)
