Friends of late gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu have alleged that the “Ekwueme” singer died from domestic violence, and not throat cancer as earlier reported.

The news of Osinachi’s death in an Abuja private hospital on Friday, April 8 sent shockwaves across Nigeria.

The friends said the cause of death was a kick in the chest by husband Peter Nwachukwu, which placed the victim on five days of life support before she passed away.

In a series of Facebook posts and WhatsApp status messages, it was revealed that the singer had been a victim of domestic violence for a long time.

One of the friends, lifestyle blogger Amanda Chisom, accused her husband Peter of being “a control freak whose only interest is to maximise profit from her voice.”

Another close friend said the victim’s husband cum manager, managed her phones, social media accounts, bank accounts, and received payments for the singer’s ministrations.

According to gospel artiste Gold Martins, who shared screenshots of those who knew the singer verifying the domestic violence story, claimed that Osinachi personally confided in a mutual friend, explaining her experience and her inability to leave.

Gold quoted the singer as saying, “If not for the church and what people will say, I would have left this marriage.”

One of the friends said the singer told her of how the husband would tie her up and ask the children to “beat her up with a cane. She told me this.”

According to the friend, “He would lock her up in the house even on days when she has important concerts and programmes that she had already been paid for.”

“I hosted her in one of my programmes, The INVASION in 2019. It was a terrible experience with the husband on the phone and then when she arrived, she shared scary marital issues.

“She had to sneak out of the house to honour the invitation. The husband threatened me on the phone and assured me that the wife will not return to his house if she attends the event.”

The Dunamis chorister and mother of four was said to have previously walked out of the abusive marriage, but reconciled with her husband through the intervention of Pastor Paul Eneche, founder and senior pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Center.

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Her husband has been reportedly arrested.