Peter Nwachukwu, husband of the late gospel artiste Osinachi Nwachukwu, has spent one month in police custody.
Mr Nwachukwu, who is accused of wife battery, was arrested on April 10.
His wife was a lead singer at the headquarters of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre. She died on April 8 at the National Hospital, Abuja.
Confirming Nwachukwu’s arrest, FCT police spokesperson Josephine Adeh said on April 11 that the man was taken into custody after the case was reported by Osinachi’s brother.
“He is now in our custody. The younger brother of the deceased reported the matter and we have commenced investigation,” she said.
On April 11, Nwachukwu was escorted into a police van stationed in front of the Lugbe Police Station in Abuja.
The police said they were driving him to his house to provide evidence of the hospitals he claimed to have taken Osinachi to for treatment.
According to Nwachukwu, his wife took ill from November 2021. He said he first took her to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), later to Gwagwalada General Hospital, and then to National Hospital, where she finally died.
He, however, did not disclose the nature of her illness. Osinachi’s sister said the singer did not die of cancer as rumoured.
The police have conducted an autopsy on Osinachi and transferred the matter to the Directorate of Public Prosecution for legal advice.
Nwachukwu was last seen publicly on April 20 when he was paraded before the minister of women affairs Pauline Tallen, his children and in-laws during their visit to the inspector general of police Usman Baba.
The visiting family included the twin sister of the late Osinachi, Eze Amarachi; the brother, the late singer’s four children (three boys and a girl) and two others.
Some groups criticised the minister, saying the parade of Nwachukwu before his children added to their trauma.
