TheCable

Caroline Madu, mother of Osinachi Nwachukwu, the gospel singer who was alleged to have died of domestic assault, says her son-in-law had threatened to return her daughter as a corpse.

The gospel singer, who passed away on April 8, was initially thought to have died of throat cancer.

But associates claimed it may be connected to an assault by her husband, Peter Nwachukwu, who was later arrested.

The federal government had filed a 23-count charge against Peter.

At the commencement of trial on Monday, the prosecution called 61-year-old Caroline as the first prosecution witness.

She spoke in Igbo language which was translated by interpreters.

“Peter said to my daughter that if she did not go alive, she will go in death,” the singer’s mother told the court.

“I said it is better to come back alive. I sent my other daughter, Favour Madu, to go and bring her.

“When she (Favour) brought her back, she stayed a year and three months. Her husband came to look for her again alongside pastors and was begging for Osinachi to follow him back.”

She told the court that Osinachi decided to return to her husband on the grounds that “what God has joined together, let no man put asunder”.

Caroline also alleged that her son-in-law often starved Osinachi and her children.

“What hurt me most is when she gave birth to the third child. She started calling me again, that she was lacking what to eat,” Caroline said.

“When she called, I told my last child, Chibuzor, to go and visit her. Before he travelled, I went to a market in Enugu to buy foodstuffs.

“My son, Chibuzor, stayed there for four days and he started crying that the in-law was disturbing him. But I begged him to stay for one week and help his sister.”

She said Nwachukwu poured water on her son while he was washing clothes and warned him not to touch the children’s clothes.

Caroline added that she was usually never allowed to visit her daughter, and that the only time she visited the house, Nwachukwu threw her out.

She said the late singer’s husband only called her with her daughter’s phone at about 7pm on the day Osinachi died to give her the sad news.

Testifying as the second prosecution witness, Favour Madu, Osinachi’s younger sister, said the relationship with her sister was strained because of her husband.

She said Osinachi was mostly treated like an animal, and also corroborated her mother’s claim about Nwachukwu leaving her sister to starve.

“My sister’s husband had not been treating her fine. He treats her like an animal, and beats her anyhow. He doesn’t make her associate with us as a family,” she said.

“In 2019, when I was coming for my convocation at the National Open University, I called my sister that I was coming.

“She asked me to call her husband instead. I called him and he shouted at me not to come to his house. My sister had to arrange a place for me to stay.

“When my father died, on their way to my father’s village, he was driving recklessly. Osinachi then asked him to take it easy because he was carrying the whole family. He slapped her and poured water on her.

“My sister later told me after Osinachi warned her not to tell us.

“My sister was healthy when she got married to Peter. It was only ulcer that I know she was suffering from and it was as a result of how he starved her.”

Favour added that when she came to Abuja on April 12, she observed fresh marks on her sister’s children, which were allegedly inflicted by Nwachukwu.

When asked by the defence lawyer, I.A. Aliyu, if she personally witnessed the alleged abuse meted out to her sister, Favour said “no”.

The case was adjourned till Tuesday for continuation of trial.