Silenced Voice: The Fall Of Osinachi And The Cost Of Ignored Crises.

By Habeeb Awodele, Ramat Araoye, Deborah Awopeju, Rachael Amuleya and Toluwalase Aroyemu.

The story of the famous Nigerian "Ekwueme" singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, who tragically met her untimely death, after a series of incidents of domestic violence, which she was said to have encountered from her husband, is an apt representation of abuse and maltreatment, which some women experience in their matrimonial homes within the Nigerian society.  In this report, HABEEB AWODELE, RAMAT ARAOYE and DEBORAH AWOPEJU delve into the circumstances surrounding this case: the personal life story of the deceased, her grass-to-grace story, issues surrounding her death and the societal impact.

Osinachi's personal life story

Before fame, Osinachi was just a young girl born into an Igbo family in Owerri, Nigeria, on 12 November, 1979. Although no clear sources about her educational career, it was only reported that she attended a private secondary school and also proceeded to a private university in Nigeria. 

According to an interview published on Vanguard newspaper, Ms. Favour Made, late Osinachi's elder sister disclosed that they were six girls in the family, with a boy making seven children. It is also worthy of note that the gospel artiste had a twin sister, Amarachi Eze Essien, popularly known as Amarachi Eze, who is as well endowed with tremendous singing talent. The family was said to have been built on Christianity faith, probably a factor that influenced Osinachi to condone her husband's abuse and remained reticent even in the face of adversity.

Her marriage lifestyle

About her marriage lifestyle, the "Ekwueme" singer was married to Peter Nwachukwu, an Anambra man whom she had four children with. But unfortunately, the marriage seemed a death trap for the gospel singer, as her toxic husband eventually catalysed her untimely death. Osinachi's marriage was said to have featured excessive abuse and maltreatment from her husband. All these attested to by family members, friends, close associates and direct witnesses. 

About her career

As derived from an online article published on biography.igbopeople.org, the gospel star's music career "was marked by her soulful voice and deep spiritual conviction. She collaborated with various artistes, contributing to songs like 'Nara Ekele', by pastor Paul Enenche and 'You No Dey Use Me Play' by Emma. Her most notable work was 'Ekwueme', a collaboration with Prospa Ochimana which became a significant anthem in Nigerian gospel music". 

It is also pertinent to mention that late Osinachi was a lead singer at the Dunamis International Gospel Centre. 

Ironically, Osinachi's "soulful voice" could not move her to speak up on her plight in her violent relationship, until she finally gave up the ghost.

Her death and the circumstances surrounding it

On April 8, 2022, news that the celebrated gospel singer had died under questionable circumstances circulated the country. Although it was said at first that the cause of her death was throat cancer, close friends and family later revealed that her death was a consequence of the endurance of several assaults and abuse physically and emotionally from her husband, Peter Nwachukwu. 

Vanguard newspaper reported that Osinachi's elder sister, Ms. Favour Made averred in an interview, "She (Osinachi) did not die of cancer. The husband, Mr Peter Nwachukwu hit her with his leg on the chest.

All these while, he had been beating her but my sister hid all that she was passing through from us. Before now, we told her to come out of the marriage, we told her that they are not divorcing, that it is just separation. But she felt that God is against divorce". 

From this attestation, it is not erroneous to conclude that Osinachi's Christian background apparently played a huge role in shaping her nonchalant mentality towards the series of abusive treatments she received from her husband. But the question one would ask is, was it really worth sacrificing her life, all in the name of preserving faith?

 Her death was not just a personal tragedy, it was a full reflection of the society we find ourselves where certain women are subjected to persecution in their matrimonial homes, with insufficient or no intervention from the society.

Roles of family and friends towards preventing her death

Now, let us ask these questions: what role did her friends and family play in rescuing her as it is obvious that they were aware about the domestic violence? Did they even make any attempt to help her? Did they do anything to stop the husband from inflicting pain on her? Maybe they did not do enough. Perhaps, they only kept advising her to stay and endure the torture because of her children, because the society would blame her if she divorced her husband, even if it killed her which later did. There are many cases of domestic violence in which the society turns blind eyes to because they do not see that as something huge. Family will ask the woman that "what did you say to annoy your husband?", " You too, why did you not listen to your husband?", "Why are you not submissive and patient with him?". But they fail to ask the man the right he has to raise his hands on his wife, the right he has to insult his wife, or the right he has to abuse his wife. We live in a society that teaches wives to be patient and not the husband.

The pivotal role of religion

In the Nigerian society, especially within the religious communities, marriage is seen as a sacred bond that must be preserved at all cost. Women are being educated about the need to endure, the need to be patient, the need to be submissive and to also keep praying through pain. Divorce is an abomination and stigma; divorce is often viewed as a personal failure or spiritual weakness.

Osinachi, a devout Christian and also mother of four, was immersed in these doctrines. Friends claimed she intended to persevere the marriage for the sake of her faith and her children.

Religious institutions hold strong power in shaping societal norms. And in Osinachi's case, they reportedly reinforced silence. Despite visible signs of distress and repeated complaints from close circles, she was completely ignored and was taken for granted, they took it as an issue that is not very important and kept telling her to keep praying instead of taking proper actions and rescuing her from her husband's brutality and torture.

The weaknesses of the legal system

Osinachi's case also exposed the weaknesses in the legal system of Nigeria and the law enforcement structures. The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, criminalises domestic abuse. Yet many victims remain unprotected as a result of lack of awareness, underfunded enforcement, or cultural reluctance to report abuse and even when the victim makes an attempt to report, you hear words like, "It is a family issue" and that conflicts within the family should be settled within the family and not to be publicised. Peter Nwachukwu was eventually arrested and tried, and in April 2025, he was sentenced to death by hanging. But justice arrived too late. The institutions designed to protect Osinachi failed her repeatedly, not just the law enforcement, but the social services, the church and the community at large.

Osinachi’s silenced voice has become a tragic symbol of what happens when cries for help are muffled by tradition, religion and systemic indifference.

The impact of her death

The impact of Osinachi's death is like a double-edged sword in the sense that some women left their abusive marriages because of the lesson learnt from the demise of Osinachi and some women are still in the abusive marriages. An article written by Chinasa Afigbo said "women who are in misery are speaking up, with wives of clergymen in the scene". An uproar that "for better for worse is not in the face of domestic violence or anything that deliberately endangers life; unless death becomes a personal victory". It was documented that Lagos state government has recorded a total of 10,007 cases of domestic violence including sexual abuse executed between May 2019 to August 2022, this record shows that women in abusive marriages now have the courage to speak up but we have not got there yet.

The Nigerian government and NGOs also advocate that women in abusive marriages should leave and that "marriage is not a do-or-die affair". In response to this, the Nigerian government came up with Violence Against Persons Prohibitions act.

This act is a sweeping law meant to criminalise all forms of violence against individuals especially women. As at February 2023, 32 states out of 36 states have adopted this act.

As stated earlier, Osinachi's death is like a double-edged sword, some women left 

their toxic relationships, while some stayed. Some women in abusive marriages are claiming that they are staying for their children but LEAVE THAT ABUSIVE MARRIAGE BEFORE IT TAKES YOUR LIFE BECAUSE WHEN THERE IS LIFE, THERE IS HOPE.