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A 30-year-old man identified as Leberechi has been arrested in Anambra State for allegedly killing his 25-year-old apprentice and hiding the body in a refrigerator.
The disturbing incident occurred in Okpoko, a densely populated community in Ogbaru Local Government Area, and has thrown residents into shock.
Leberechi, a spare parts dealer at the popular Mgbuka Market along the Onitsha–Owerri Road, reportedly took the young apprentice home after business closed on Saturday, 30 August 2025. But when neither of them returned to the market by Tuesday, fellow traders began to suspect something was wrong. Mondays are usually sit-at-home days in the South-East, and markets are closed, so the apprentice’s absence the following day raised alarm.
A shop owner in the market told Premium Times that traders confronted the suspect when he returned without his apprentice, but his explanation was vague.
Suspicion grew, prompting some traders to search his residence. “When we entered the house, we saw the boy’s mutilated body stuffed in a fridge,” the shop owner recounted. The discovery triggered outrage, and Leberechi was dragged back to the market where an angry mob descended on him before police operatives intervened.
Confirming the incident, Anambra police spokesperson Tochukwu Ikenga said officers rescued the suspect from being lynched and rushed him to the hospital under armed guard. He explained that police operatives who visited the scene found the victim’s decomposing body in the refrigerator, which was later evacuated to a mortuary for preservation and autopsy. The State Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, has since directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Awka for further investigation.
Under Nigerian law, murder is one of the most serious crimes and is prohibited by Section 315 (6) of the Criminal Code Act. Convicted offenders face the death penalty, according to Section 319 (1).
