Godwin Madu, brother of the late gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court, sitting in Abuja, how the late songbird answered calls and spoke in fear, due to her husband’s (Peter Nwachukwu) presence.
Led in evidence by the Prosecution counsel, Aderonke Imana, Madu also told the court how Nwachukwu allegedly abused Osinachi verbally and physically.
He said: “Whenever we called Osinachi to hear from her, she answered with fear.
“In 2019 August, my mom was sick, Osinachi begged Peter for my mom to come over, but he refused. Then Osinachi went to Pastor Enenche’s wife, Becky, of Dunamis Church, to prevail on Peter to allow Osinachi’s mom to come down to Abuja for treatment.
“So, Becky met with Peter and begged him, before he accepted. Then when she came down to Abuja.
The first day Peter sent his son, Ebube, to go get water for him with a cup. When he went to get the water, as a child, the water spilled from the cup. Peter beat Ebube mercilessly, just because the boy made a very little mistake.
“When my mom heard his cry, she started telling Peter that he should take it easy on him, that he is a child and mistakes were part of their learning. I was there listening to my mom, and the next thing Peter did was insult my mom, calling her names that she was a witch and that she wants to scatter his family.
Scolding Osinachi’s mom
“When he was saying all those things, my mum kept quiet and didn’t respond. The next day my sister was in the kitchen cooking, and she called on me to come and assist her, I was in the kitchen helping her to cut onions, Peter then came to the kitchen and asked what I was doing there. My sister said to him, please allow him he is helping me, he started insulting my sister, calling her names. That day he said to her ‘you know how I used to be to you,’ in my presence for the first time.
“Then the second day, he did the same thing, I was in the kitchen helping my sister. He told her that I have warned you several times not to allow this your useless brother inside my kitchen, then my sister said to him, there are so many things to do in the kitchen. He repeated the same words, ‘you know how I used to be to you,’ in my presence for the second time.
“The next day, I was in the kitchen helping my sister wash the plates, and he repeated the same words to my sister. When he said it I was very angry that very day, I said to Osinachi what does this man mean by these things he is saying, he heard what I said and started insulting me.
“On the fourth day, I was with my mom in the room where she was when I was going to the kitchen, I saw him he raised his hands to hit my sister Osinachi, then I said if you try it, my mom heard my voice and she called me, Peter started insulting me again.
“The next day, he chased me and my mom out of his house, I called Osinachi’s twin sister, Amarachi, and I told her what happened, she called one of her Delta woman friends, it was the woman that came and picked me and my mom.
“It was in that woman’s house that we stayed for one month until she completed her treatment before we both went back to Enugu. Then I came back to Abuja, I started my music stuff then when I go to church on Sunday, that is when I normally see my sister(Osinachi) and whenever she’s talking to me and notices the presence of Peter, she will be afraid, she will quickly leave and tell me later.”
Narrates hospital experience before death
“For years, it kept happening like that until March, this year, when my sister was sick, it was through my mom that I knew that my sister was sick. My mom said to me that I should go and find out what was happening to Osinachi. I went to their house, I knocked and knocked, Ebube came out the first son. When he came out he now asked Ebube who is that, Ebube said it was uncle Godwin. He told Ebube to tell me that I should go.
“Then the next day, my sister was in the hospital, he never wanted to tell me that my sister was in the hospital. My sister cried and begged him to send the address of the hospital so that I can come. When I came to the hospital, I saw my sister in severe pain, holding her chest, I saw a doctor that was with her there. Right there when the doctor finished attending to her, Peter was there too, I wanted to see the doctor, but Peter blocked me and called security to push me out.
“The second day, I came to the hospital he didn’t allow me to come close. Then before the twin sister Amarachi came, when she came, Peter started asking her what was doing there in the hospital, she said that she came to take care of her sister, and Peter said she should better go back to where she was coming from.
“She didn’t say anything to Peter. Peter said we should both leave the hospital, that we should go far to the garden as he was expecting somebody. “For more than twenty minutes we were outside so that he will tell us the person had come and we can go in.
“We waited for so long before we now came to the room in the hospital where they were, then my sister Osinachi was begging the twin sister that she should not be angry, Amarachi said okay that there’s no problem. After that, Peter brought out a lab result and gave it to Osinachi and said to her, you don’t have cancer, despite the pain and what Osinachi was passing through right there, she smiled.
“Peter went to the toilet to ease himself, Osinachi said to us that please we should go and check on the children, that she doesn’t want any torture from Peter again.”
First published in Vanguard
