Anambra: Tragedy as Trader Dies After Killing Colleague in Alleged Ritual Murder

• Trader, identified as 'Dangote Group,' killed his colleague in Anambra State, harvested his organs and put his remains in a refrigerator
• The victim, Chinemerem, went out with 'Dangote' to recover N5000 owed him by the suspect, when he was killed
• 'Dangote,' suspected to be a member of killer syndicate, swallowed poisonous substance that killed him, possibly to stop him from naming his members

Anambra trader, identified simply as Dangote Group, who was reportedly a trader at the Old Motor Spare Parts Market, Mgbuka Obosi, in Idemili North local government area of the state, killed his colleague, Mr. Chinemerem, mutilated his body parts, and stocked them into a refrigerator, after removing the victim's vital organs.

The incident took place on Saturday, August 30, when the victim accompanied the suspect to his apartment at No.14 Obinnakwe Street, Okpoko, Ogbaru LGA of the state, to recover money owed him.

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Trader lured victim over N5,000 debt before killing him

Legit.ng gathered that the victim, from Eziagu LGA of Enugu state, who was also a trader in Mgbuka Market, was owed to the tune of five thousand naira (N5,000) by the suspect, and on Saturday, August 30, 2025, the suspect, reportedly from Ebonyi state, told the victim to go with him to his apartment, where the money would be given to him.

On reaching the place, the suspect was reportedly killed, and his body stored in a refrigerator after his eyes, penis, limbs and kidney were taken away.

When Legit.ng contacted Mr. Ifeanyi Obasi, former master who tutored the victim on the old spare parts business, and who was living with the victim before the unfortunate incident; Mr. Obasi confirmed the development.

He said that on that fateful Saturday, after the monthly sanitation exercise, Chinemerem left for market, and in the evening, when others were coming back from market, he did not return.

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According to him:

"Chinemerem served me for six years, and I tutored him in the business. He was freed in March, 2025 before Easter, and we agreed that he would stay with me for the time being, till he was able to pay for an apartment of his own.

"So, after the day's business on that fateful Saturday, he didn't return, and other boys staying with me could not tell his whereabouts. We prepared dinner, and kept his own, but he did not turn up to eat the dinner. I called his line throughout the night, but his line did not go through. I was surprised because, even though he was then a master of his own, he never slept outside the house without notifying us.

"On Sunday, August 31, I called a man from his community, who handed him over to me when he served under me as apprentice. I asked him if Chinemerem was in the village. He said no. I told him about the development, and he was surprised. I later called his colleague in the market, and he told me that a young man in the market left with Chinemerem on Saturday, and that since then, he did not return.

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"On Tuesday, September 2, at about 4pm, this neighbor of Chinemerem, called me that the trader that left with Chinemerem was in the market. I rushed to the place with two of the boys living with me. On reaching there, we accosted the suspect, and asked him Chinemerem's whereabouts. Initially, he denied knowing Chinemerem's whereabouts. He said that on that Saturday, he sold some spare parts to the victim and left.

"When he was pressed further, and he felt that his act was already uncovered, he took to his heels, and we pursued him. He ran into a big gutter called Sakamori, along Onitsha-Owerri road. One of my boys ran after him, grabbed him inside the gutter, before we called the market chairman, who subsequently invited security men to help us.

Suspect confessed before swallowing poison

Obasi said:

"When the suspect saw security men coming, he deepped his hands inside his pocket, brought a liquid substance (suspected to be poison) and swallowed it.

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Upon interrogations by the security operatives, the suspect confessed that he killed Chinemerem and kept his remains in his apartment. When asked reasons behind what he did, he said he did it under the influence of drugs and alcohol."

Community leaders and police react to gruesome murder

When Legit.ng met Chief Ifurunwa Samuel, chairman of the Old Spare Parts Market in Mgbuka Obosi, where the suspect and the victim were doing their businesses before their death, Ifurunwa said that the market handed the suspect over to Opkoko police station and that it was a joint team of the market security and men of the Nigerian police from Okpoko division that recovered the victim's body stacked in a refrigerator in the suspect's apartment at No.14 Obinnakwe Street, Okpoko, before taking it to mortuary where it was preserved.

When our correspondent visited Okpoko division for more enquiry, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the division was not on seat. But a senior police officer, who did not want his name on print, because he was not authorized to speak, confirmed the development. He added that after depositing the victim's body in the mortuary, the division also took the suspect to the hospital to know how much they would revive him from the substance he took, so that he could make confessional statements. He, however, regretted that on Wednesday, September 3, at about 7pm, the victim died, and his body deposited in the mortuary.

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When Legit.ng correspondent visited the scene of the incident at No. 14 Obinnakwe Street, Okpoko, the area was deserted, as tenants vacated the building for the fear of the unknown. When this correspondent visited the owner of the building, Chief Okey Udensi, who was not living in the house where the incident took place, the landlord, who was bedridden for seven years, noted that he was in the hospital when he learnt that the suspect packed into his house as tenant on August 5, 2025. He said that he had not yet set his eyes on the tenant, as he was yet to visit the building before the incident took place.

While regretting the development, Udensi said that such thing never happened before in the area, not to talk of happening in his own house.

When contacted, the President General of Okpoko community, where the incident occurred, Sir Charles Ezeokafor, confirmed the development to Legit.ng correspondent, and further warned landlords to adhere strictly to their earlier agreement to have details of prospective tenants before they pack into their houses. He said that everybody was at a loss over the present development because, the owner of the house was not around to take full inventory of the tenant and his surety before he parked into the house.

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He said:

"This kind of thing has not happened in Okpoko before. What we have been witnessing were theft and cultism. This kind of thing has never happened before. We envisaged this, and that was the reason we encouraged landlords to get tenancy documents from us to enable them document details of prospective tenants and their suretys before they pack in."

Armed vigilantes storm corpers' lodge

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a disturbing video had surfaced on social media showing armed vigilante operatives brutally assaulting a female corps member and her colleagues in Anambra state.

The operatives, identified as members of Operation Udo Ga-Achi, also known as the Agunechemba Vigilante Group, were seen storming a corps members’ lodge and attacking occupants despite their efforts to prove their identity.

Source: Legit.ng