An 18-year-old apprentice has allegedly murdered his boss with a pestle during a confrontation in the Fegge area of Onitsha, Anambra State.
The suspect, identified as Chiemerie, reportedly attacked his master, simply known as Iyke, on Sunday evening after being reprimanded for stealing money and taking drugs.
Eyewitnesses said the victim was a businessman operating at the popular Ogbo-Ogwu Bridgehead Medicine Market in the commercial city.
One of the eyewitnesses told our correspondent, “The 18-year-old boy from Ebonyi State picked a mortar pestle from the kitchen and hit his master on the head during an altercation on Sunday evening.
“The incident shook the residents of the entire area. The victim was rushed to the hospital but could not survive.”
The Anambra State Police Command confirmed the development on Monday.
The command’s spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the suspect had been arrested and the murder weapon recovered.
“Yes, the incident happened on Sunday. The suspect is already in custody. Also, the pestle he used has been recovered,” Ikenga stated.
He explained that trouble started when the deceased scolded Chiemerie over his conduct.
“The boss scolded the suspect for his behaviour of pilfering money in the shop, taking drugs and coming back late at night.
“It resulted in an altercation and the situation escalated, resulting in the suspect using a pestle from the kitchen to hit his boss on the head,” the police spokesman added.
In a similar incident in 2023, the Ondo State Police Command arrested a 20-year-old apprentice, Josiah Godwin, for allegedly hacking his master, Saviour Joseph, to death.
Godwin had dumped the victim’s corpse in a well at their work site after the killing.
