Apprentice allegedly kills mentor in Anambra

A 21-year-old apprentice has allegedly killed his mentor in Anambra State after attacking him with a pestle.

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The apprentice, Chiemerie Anieke, was said to have struck the man, Ikechukwu Nwite, on the head with the pestle after an earlier altercation.

The incident happened in the early hours of Sunday in Fegge, an urban community in the Onitsha South Local Government Area of the state.

How it happened

Sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the deceased, a medicine dealer, had been complaining that the apprentice usually returned to the house late at night.

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One of the sources, who claimed to be the late Mr Nwite’s friend, said the latest incident occurred when the apprentice returned late on Saturday night and was asked by the deceased to return to where he had come from.

“He (Nwite) came back in the night, and his other apprentices told him that Chiemerie hadn’t returned. He instructed the apprentices to inform him whenever Chiemerie returned.

“When Chiemerie came back around 12 a.m., the apprentices informed their master, who then instructed Chiemerie to return to where he was coming from that night.

“He didn’t know the boy had a plan. The boy went and hid behind the kitchen, and immediately the master entered inside, he struck the master with a pestle, and he died,” the source, who asked not to be named, narrated in Igbo language.

He said that the wife of the deceased, Ogechukwu Nwite, attempted to help her husband, but the apprentice also attacked her with the same pestle.

“The lady (wife of the deceased) is currently in New Hope Hospital, Onitsha. But we have deposited the master’s body in the mortuary now. That’s where we are coming from,” he added.

Police speak

The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, has confirmed the incident in a statement on Monday.

Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the apprentice, Mr Anieke, has been arrested by the police.

“Preliminary information reveals that the suspect was allegedly provoked by the manner in which the late Ikechukwu admonished him over his bad behaviour, including pilfering money meant for the shop, staying out late at night, and taking drugs,” he said.

The spokesperson said the police have recovered the pestle from the scene and that Mr Nwite’s wife was currently responding to treatment at the hospital.

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“The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka, for a comprehensive investigation and to ensure that justice is served,” he said.

Similar killing in the past

This is not the first time an apprentice has killed his mentor in Nigeria.

In 2023, for instance, a 20-year-old apprentice was arrested for allegedly killing his mentor and dumping the corpse in a well in Ondo State, South-west Nigeria.

A similar incident happened in Anambra State in 2025 when a 30-year-old man allegedly murdered his 25-year-old apprentice in the South-eastern state.