Pastor Paul Enenche, the lead pastor of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre Wordwide, Abuja, has said he had no idea that the late popular gospel artiste, Osinachi Nwachukwu, was being abused by her husband, Peter Nwachukwu.
Until her death last Friday, the 42-year-old artiste who died after spending days at an undisclosed hospital in Abuja, a lead singer in Enenche’s church.
Her colleagues accused her husband of beating her.
In a recorded video broadcast posted across all his social media handles and on the church’s Facebook Page, Dunamis TV on Wednesday, Enenche said all he knew was that the late Osinachi and her husband, Peter, came to him for prayers when the former complained of chest pain over two months ago.
He said, “Over two-and-a-half months to three months ago, she came to see me with her husband with complaints of chest pain and respiratory distress. I prayed for her and prayed again.
“When the symptoms did not abate, I counselled that they went to the hospital to help us know exactly what we were dealing with and they asked if I could help them facilitate that process. I called our head of medical team, Dr Osang, who is a consultant paediatrician with the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi (Nasarawa State) to assist to handle their situation.
“He called the FMC, Jabi (Abuja), where they attended to her. On seeing her, they ordered some examinations and investigations and that including CT scan. That was done, and from what the doctors saw, they felt there was the need for further investigation either at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital or the National Hospital, Abuja. I called the doctor at the UATH, Dr Akoh Alexander, and told him the situation.
The pastor said the late artiste was later admitted and was responding to treatment before he heard about her death.
The pastor added, “Now, if there was domestic violence that led to or coincided with those symptoms she came with two-and-a-half to three months ago, there is no way I would know. If there had been perennial domestic violence, there is no way I would have known.
“The things we are hearing after her passing were very strange to my hearing. Then, I began to ask questions. Then, I asked the twin sister, ‘Were you aware that your sister passed through all these things?’ She said yes, that she knew some of them, but that the majority of them she heard only from those she (Osinachi) confided in.
“I asked her, ‘If you knew, why didn’t you let us know?’ and she said, she (Osinachi) always begged her not to tell the pastor or the church that the man would change and asked for prayers. That continued to happen.”
Enenche further said he asked Osinachi’s first son of what transpired between his mom and dad and he confirmed the stories.
He quoted the son as saying that he refused to speak up in order not to attract his father’s anger.
“The last one that touched me so much was the music producer who came to see me in the office two days ago to tell me his own experience and how he witnessed that the man slapped the wife in his studio,” he added.
Enenche insisted that all he knew about the deceased’s plight in the hands of her husband were brought to his knowledge after her death.
