A tragic incident occurred on Sunday at Fegge in Onitsha, the commercial city of Anambra State, when an 18-year-old apprentice killed his master with a pestle during an altercation.

BEYOND AFRICA gathered that the apprentice, identified as Chiemerie, allegedly attacked the boss, identified simply as Iyke, when his boss scolded him over his attitude of piffering money and taking drugs.

According to eyewitnesses in the area, the victim was a businessman operating at the popular Ogbo-Ogwu Bridgehead Medicine Market in Onitsha.

One of the eyewitnesses said, “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, identified simply as Iyke, was rushed to the hospital, but could not survive the situation.

“The victim was a trader at Ogbo Ogwu Market, one of the city’s major trading hubs.”

When contacted on Monday, the Spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the development.

Ikenga stated that the suspect has been arrested and the pestle recovered.

“Yes, the incident happened on Sunday. The suspect is already in custody. Also, the pestle he used has been recovered.

“The boss scolded the suspect for his behaviour of pilfering money in the shop, taking drugs and coming back late at night.

“It resulted into altercation and the situation escalated, resulting in the suspect using a pestle from the kitchen to hit his boss on the head,” Ikenga added.