A Chemist, known as Iyke has been been hacked to death by his apprentice with a pestle, after issuing a stern warning to the later against stealing from his shop at Fegge quarters in Onitsha, Anambra State, South East.
The tragedy occurred on Sunday, while the victim was a businessman operating at the popular Ogbo-Ogwu Bridgehead Medicine Market in Onitsha, a witness said.
Trouble started after a minor altercation between the murder suspect identified only as Chiemerie and his late boss over alleged repeated stealing of money and pilfering of medicine, resulting at the shop.
Spokesman of the Nigeria police Command in the State, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who also confirmed the arrest of the 18-year-old apprentice by the police.
“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,” according to SP. Ikenga.
One of the witnesses also alleged that murder suspect from Ebonyi State, picked a mortar pestle from the kitchen and hit his boss head during an altercation on Sunday evening.
“The incident shook the residents of the entire area. 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”, a witnesses said, the attention of police was called to the incident,. leading to Chiemerie’s arrested, while the body of the victim was evacuated to a morgue.
