Osinachi, reports say, died in the evening of April 8, in an Abuja hospital.
The mother of four children (three boys and one girl), who hailed from Isuochi, Abia State, died at 44.
Osinachi was a member of the choir department at the headquarters at Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC) founded by Paul Enenche, a trained medical doctor, called to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
She was shot into limelight with her hit “Ekwueme” which she sang in collaboration with another gospel singer, Prospa Ochimana, who is also a member of DIGC choir.
She also featured in the hit song by Pastor Enenche “Nara Ekele” and “You no dey use me play” by Emmasing.
Controversy over death
There has been no official statement by the family and DIGC on the cause of the demise of the singer.
Consequently, controversies have trailed the unfortunate incident on social media.
While some say she died of throat cancer, others say she died following a severe beating she received from her husband, Peter Nwachukwu.
A gospel artiste, Edwin Alex, claimed Osinachi died of throat cancer.
Mr Nwachukwu was reported to have beaten her up in their ACO Estate home, Abuja, leading to her hospitalisation for five days.
Reports say she was on life support in the hospital before she finally gave up the ghost.
A gospel singer, Frank Edwards, in an Instagram live video, on Saturday alleged that Mr Nwachukwu was abusing and brutalising the late singer.
He said Osinachi’s husband publicly abused her on several occasions.
“One time in a studio, this man slapped her in the studio 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 their wife or claim 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.”
Edwards, who said Osinachi was secretive about what she was going through in the marriage, also claimed that Mr Nwachukwu was controlling and would take the money the late music minister made from events.
“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,” he said.
“It’s crazy,” he lamented.
“People have tried to invite her for their programmes, but she will keep telling them that they must beg my husband first,” he said.
Edwards also revealed that a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Joy Nunieh, once gifted the singer a studio in Abuja but that Mr Nwachukwu did not allow his wife to use the studio because permission was not sought from him before it was built.
Edwards called for justice in the matter.
“I have never had any reason to have a court case with anyone because I am a child of God, but you see this case, it won’t just go like that because she was a blessing to the world.
“I usually don’t get involved in things like this, I keep my family and personal stuff off social media, but this one hurt me,” he said.
Following the outrage on the social media over the controversy surrounding Osinachi’s death, the President of Gospel Music Ministries in Nigeria, Asu Ekiye, has called on its members to refrain from making further comments and await the outcome of the autopsy on the late singer.
“May I urge all music ministers, especially FOGMMON members nationwide to desist from further comments about the death of our colleague and sister Osinachi until the conclusion of investigation and the subsequent release of the autopsy report.
“I think this is the proper thing to do. We must resist the temptation of making unverifiable and unsubstantiated remarks.
“We must conduct ourselves in a very mature and responsible manner so we don’t obfuscate the entire process leading to the unravelling of the truth,” Ekiye said in a statement released on his Facebook page on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the death of Osinachi has sparked off debate on social media on domestic violence and the position of the Bible on divorce and separation.
