Nigerian gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu has died with GBV being the cause of death as revealed by her sister Ms Favour Made.
According to Made Osinachi was in an abusive marriage with her husband Peter Nwachukwu. She went on to say Peter delivered a blow to Osinachi’s chest with his leg that caused blood clots in her chest. Friends of the late gospel singer testified about the instances of abuse they had seen.
Frank Edwards, another popular singer made an Instagram video alleging that he had seen the abuse. He said;
“One time in a studio, this man slapped her just because she wanted to record the song in Igbo against his will. She does not do anything on her own.
“She would say, please beg my husband. She was at his mercy. I didn’t know the intensity of what she was going through; I didn’t know how somebody would be jealous of the wife he claimed to love.
“There are a lot of stories where people told her this and that, but what I know was that the control was too much. The other time somebody wanted me to get her for an event, and I contacted her, but she said ‘beg my husband.’
“She couldn’t even tell people what she was going through. I only got to know because Aunty Joy contacted me to promote her song. That was when I got a glimpse into what was happening.”
There are also reports that Osinachi was in the hospital for five days before succumbing to her injuries. Her sister Ms Favor also said that Peter Osinachi’s husband did not alert the family that she was in hospital until she died and that is when he broke the news. She admitted to being aware of the abuse but said the late singer insisted on staying in the marriage with the belief that God would intervene.
Gender-Based Violence continues to be a struggle in Africa including in Zimbabwe. Most cases happen behind closed doors and our cultural setup frowns upon women who expose their husbands. Men equally do not share their abuse experiences because men are expected to be strong and sharing such experiences comes across as a weakness on their part.
Osinachi’s husband Peter Nwachukwu has been arrested as police investigate the cause of the singer’s death. people have reacted to the news on social media with mixed feelings. Some people feel that religious leaders must not encourage people to remain in abusive relationships. Osinachi leaves behind four children.