28/04/2025
Meet Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme, the Federal High Court Judge Who Sentenced Late Osinachi’s Husband, Peter Nwachukwu, to Death by Hanging
Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme is a Nigerian lawyer and judge at the Federal High Court. On April 28, 2025, she sentenced Mr. Peter Nwachukwu, husband of the late gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu, to death by hanging, having found him guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of his late wife.
Who is Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme?
Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme is a Nigerian lawyer, currently serving as a judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja. She is the daughter of former Rivers State Governor, Dr. Peter Odili, and retired Supreme Court Justice Mary Odili.
Widely recognized for her strong work ethic and commitment to the legal profession, Justice Nwosu-Iheme was sworn in as a High Court judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, by the then Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, alongside 20 others on Tuesday, November 23, 2021.
She is married to Uzoma Nwosu-Iheme, the son of Court of Appeal Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme.
As of 2025, she has served four years as a High Court judge. Justice Nwosu-Iheme found Mr. Peter Nwachukwu guilty of culpable homicide leading to the death of his wife, Osinachi Nwachukwu, which occurred on April 8, 2022.
Despite her public position, Justice Nwosu-Iheme maintains a very private life, with only limited information available about her personal affairs. Details about her educational background are sparse, though it is known that she attended a campus of the Nigerian Law School.
This is unlike her mother, who is a thriving personality in the media with robust information about her private life and legal odyssey.
Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme was born and raised in Rivers State, South-South Nigeria, where she had her early education.
Her rise to prominence came after her appointment as a judge of the Federal High Court. Her appointment and subsequent judicial activities brought her private life under some public eyes.
Her appointment as a Federal High Court judge was not without controversy, as critics alleged that nepotism influenced her selection, citing her powerful family background and marriage into another judicial family.
However, the National Judicial Council (NJC) defended the appointments, affirming that all selected candidates, including Justice Nwosu-Iheme, met the necessary qualifications despite public backlash.
Apparently, Justice Nwosu-Iheme has stepped into her mother’s (Mary Odili’s) shoes in the Nigerian judiciary echelon, following her mother’s retirement in May 2022. Her ruling on the death of the late gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, remains the most popular and widely discussed case of her career as a judge so far.
Credit- Sunny Ibeh Jnr [ SIJ]
