By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The 21-year-old apprentice, Chiemerie Anieke, who hacked his master to death on Valentine's Day (February 14, 2026) at No. 2 Enyiuko Street, Fegge, Onitsha, Anambra State has confessed to the killing, saying that he committed the act.

Speaking at the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) where he is being held, the suspect revealed that he killed his boss with a pestle because he instructed that he be locked out of the house for returning home late.

He also confessed to attacking his master’s sister with the same pestle while she was sleeping

Chiemerie however denied most of the allegations passed on him, including drug addiction and returning home late on the fateful day.

He said: “I came over to Onitsha in 2023 to learn the trade at the instance of my elder brother who had connection with my master.

“I had to agree to relocate to Onitsha since my parents, who are peasant farmers, could not sponsor my university education even when I had passed both West African Examination Council (WAEC) and Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exams."

Insisting that his relationship with his master was cordial until lately, he added, "I remember one of the days I came back from church activity and my Oga (boss) pounced on me, insisting I should tell him where I went to.

"I reported that experience to my elder brother who linked me up with him, but my brother advised me to patiently endure and see the maltreatment as part of the apprenticeship experience.

“In July last year, I met with a friend in Ogbo-Ogwu Market, Nnabuife and requested his assistance to open a bank account for me so I could be saving money there. He agreed and opened the account, which I kept monitoring through PoS until it got to N5 million and I requested Nnabuife to help me withdraw the money.

“By then, I was already planning to quit my apprenticeship to enable me to establish mine. But by the time Nnabuife (who also is currently in police custody) withdrew the money, the amount he handed over to me was not complete. It was roughly above N3million

"When I complained, he threatened to collect the entire money, insisting it was his own gain for assisting me to open the account and monitor it.

“This got me angry because I had already planned what I would do with the money.”

Recalling what happened on February 14, that led to the death of his master, Chiemerie said, “I came back from the market around 7.30pm on that Saturday. I didn’t come back late, neither did I visit any girlfriend.

“Rather, I was not feeling fine. I noticed that my head was aching and I had to visit a chemist shop where I bought some drugs.

"Meanwhile, I took permission from my master’s sister before going. But before I came back, she had already called my boss to tell him that I was not at home, and he instructed that they should not let me in.

“I was outside for a long time before my Oga’s wife, who was ignorant of the directives from his husband, opened the door for me.

“I remained in the kitchen till around 3am when my master returned, and as he entered, I took the pestle in the kitchen and hit him thrice in the back of the head.

“I also dashed to the room where the sister was sleeping and hit her too. She suddenly woke up and struggled over the pestle with me before rushing out to call for neighbours’ intervention.

“I had been hearing rumours that my master had learnt about my savings, and was planning to collect the entire money and punish me severely.

“Since I was already fed up with what I was doing and had decided to quit so I could use the money to set up my own business, I had no option but to take action.

“Besides, I had also begged him several times to buy a phone for me, being the only person in the entire compound without a phone, but he refused.”

While denying that his actions were triggered by drugs or alcohol, Chiemerie rather blamed it on the devil, saying, “I used to take tablets of Tramadol. But when my Oga discovered I was taking the drug, he warned me to stop and I obeyed. I was not taking the drug before I came to Onitsha. So it was neither drugs nor alcohol that caused it.

“I can’t just explain what came over me on that day. I think it was the devil’s manipulation.

"Actually, my intention was not to kill him, but the maltreatment, especially the call from my Oga’s sister to him and his instructions to lock me out of the house, forced me to act that way."

Though he showed no sign of remorse or penitence, the suspect said he was prepared to face the consequences of his actions, saying that it was needless asking for forgiveness because he knew he would not be forgiven.

He said: "I’m ready to face the consequences; whether death by hanging or by shooting. I am ready to die and face judgment, because I know I will not be forgiven even if I ask for it."

Meanwhile, Nwite’s sister, Ogechukwu Nwite who is recuperating in the hospital expressed shock that Chiemerie could act in such a violent manner.

She said she was fast asleep when she suddenly felt a hard object hit her on the head.

She added: “Before I could understand what was happening, the boy hit me again. It was when he attempted to hit me with the pestle the third time that I grabbed his hand, struggled to disarm him and ran outside to call for help.

“It was at that point I realised that the apprentice had already attacked my brother who was lying unconscious in the kitchen.

“The outstanding one I could remember was the day my brother scolded him for something he did wrong at the shop. Little did I know that such a minor issue could provoke the boy to act in such a violent way."

According to her, the suspect had been living and working with her brother for about three years.