By Onome Oghenetega
A popular Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Oluoma Chinenye John also fondly called Fada Oluoma, has described the death of popular gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, as an avoidable one if she had left abusive marriage.
Fada Oluoma, however, counselled couples in abusive and life threatening marriages not to endure until they die from such domestic violence.
The Catholic priest, who became popular for his practical life teaching videos on social media, observed that there is nothing godly ‘waiting to die in violence prone marraiges’.
The cleric in a statement titled “Don’t Die Avoidable Death” was reacting to the death of Osinachi, the singer of popular gospel song, ‘Ekwueme’, who died on Friday in Abuja after being allegedly beaten by her husband.
The Ekwueme crooner was alleged to have sustained life threatening injuries after she was violently abused by her husband.
Fada Oluoma said he once advised a married woman to leave her marriage after she became a constant punch bag for her husband.
Recalling the incident, he disclosed, “In one of the parishes I worked, a woman always came to me with bloodied nose and swollen face, fatal decoration from the man she called her husband. It was always a dilemma counselling her because I could see her helplessness. The next thing she feared more than loosing her life to her beastly husband was actually losing her marriage to him. To worsen her case, she didn’t have anything doing economically.
“Long story short, I finally convinced her to run for her life, after receiving more bouts of life threatening beatings. I paid for her transportation to her Uncle’s house. After two weeks, she came telling me that the man called and begged her to come back, she was obviously looking for my approval for her chicken hearted and Lilly livered disposition. In my magnanimity, I chased her back to her uncle’s house.
“After some months, the man went to beg. When I was consulted, I told the uncle to give the man two major conditions: 1. Empower the woman economically. 2. Deposit an undertaken never to beat her with the police and the uncle.”
The Abuja-based Catholic priest posited that death in marriages by abusive partners are avoidable, stressing that Osinachi’s death was one of such avoidable ugly incidents.
“Death in marriage by the hand of an abusive spouse is avoidable, don’t honor it. We all woke up to the sad news of the death of Osinachi, a gospel singer, famously known for the song EKWUEME. “Suddenly, the cause of her death started filtering. I’m now reading that she died from injuries from violence by her husband.
“The news going round now is that she’s been enduring this violence for years. So, her death, for me, was avoidable. Whatever made her to stay in that marriage despite constant life threatening violence CAN NEVER be godly.
“There’s nothing pious and righteous about enduring life threatening violence till death. The Bible never says “Blessed are those who are killed by their husbands or wives, for theirs is the kingdom” nope, it rather says “Blessed are you when men persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account, rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great in heaven” Mtt 5:11-12.
“If spousal violence is the cause of Osinachi’s death, she won’t be the first, I don’t know if she will be the last, but I hope her’s will help in the libe”, Fada Oluoma added.
