The Delta State Police Command has arrested a 20-year-old herbalist, Amechi Okwuokenye, and his elder brother, Smart Okwuokenye, aged 26, for allegedly kidnapping and killing two men in Owa-Alidima, Ika North East Local Government Area of the state.
Police spokesperson SP Bright Edafe confirmed the arrest in a statement on Sunday, saying the victims’ remains have been recovered and deposited in the mortuary for autopsy.
According to the statement, the case began on September 30, 2025, when one of the victims, 22 -year-old Friday Liberty, visited the herbalist but never returned home.
“It was a case of the hunter becoming the hunted when on September 30, 2025, Mr. Friday Liberty, aged 22 years, visited his herbalist, whom he had known for some time, but this time, he never returned,” Edafe said.
Liberty’s family became worried about his disappearance until his girlfriend revealed that he had gone to consult a certain herbalist in the community. When contacted, the herbalist denied seeing him but requested money to perform rituals that would help “bring him back alive.”
After spending money without results, the family petitioned the Agbor Area Command on October 14, prompting police detectives to launch an investigation.
Arrest at the Shrine
Police operatives later traced the herbalist to his shrine in Owa-Alidima, where he was found hiding inside a refrigerator during a raid on October 23, 2025.
“Surveillance was laid around his shrine for days until he was arrested on October 23, while hiding inside a refrigerator,” Edafe revealed.
Upon his arrest, the herbalist allegedly confessed that he and his brother kidnapped Liberty and a motorcycle rider identified as Isioma Ugbeje, who had conveyed Liberty to the shrine.
Ransom Demand and Killings
The suspects reportedly demanded ₦10 million ransom from the victims’ families. When the plan failed, they killed both men and dumped their bodies inside a soakaway pit near the shrine.
“They kidnapped him and the Okada rider, demanded a ransom of ₦10 million, and when it failed, they murdered them and dumped their bodies in a soakaway pit,” Edafe stated.
Police have since evacuated the decomposing bodies for post-mortem examination while the suspects remain in custody.
Police Vow Justice
The Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, condemned the gruesome killings, assuring residents that the suspects will face the full weight of the law.
“The Command will leave no stone unturned to ensure justice is served. We remain committed to protecting lives and property across Delta State,” the Commissioner said.
