Police recover bodies of two murder victims in Delta, arrest 20-year-old herbalist
A 20-year-old herbalist Amechi Okwuokenye and his step-brother Smart Okwuokenye have been arrested by the Delta State Police Command as suspects in the kidnap and murder of two persons whose bodies were recovered in Owa-Alidima, Ika-North East Local Government Area of Delta State.
This was made known in a statement on Sunday by the spokesperson for the Command, SP Bright Edafe, in Asaba, Delta State.
The statement read: “On September 30, 2025, Mr Friday Liberty, 22 years old, visited his herbalist, whom he had known for some time now, but this time, he never returned. The family, who initially didn’t know what happened to their brother, started looking for him.
“The girlfriend of the deceased then informed the family that she heard a conversation about the said Friday Liberty and a certain herbalist, and advised that they should reach out to the said herbalist.
“The family contacted the herbalist, who denied seeing him but promised to do some spiritual incantations so their brother could return alive. Having spent money on the herbalist, and the result was not forthcoming, they then reported the matter at the Agbor Area Command via a petition on October 14, 2025.
“The Area Command detectives embarked on an intelligence-led investigation. During the course of the investigation, the detectives uncovered the last person whom Friday Liberty contacted, and found out it was the same herbalist who denied knowing his whereabouts.”
The statement revealed further that the herbalist was arrested on October 23 while hiding in a refrigerator, after surveillance was laid around his shrine at Owa-Alidima in Ika North East LGA, for days.
The police was able to obtain a confession from the 20-year-old herbalist Amechi Okwuokenye, who identified his 26-year-old brother Smart Okwuokenye as an accomplice in the kidnap of the victims Friday Liberty and his motorcycle rider Isioma Ugbeje.
The statement added: “They further stated that Friday Liberty had been his long-time customer who frequently visited him to hypnotise clients so they could give him money easily (in his words, ‘to tie clients‘). The herbalist said his elder brother approached him that he needed money and advised him to lure any of his clients so they could kidnap him and ask for ransom, and the unlucky person they could lure was Friday Liberty.
“They kidnapped him and the Okada Rider and demanded a ransom of N10 million. When they noticed that the plan was not working, they murdered him and the motorcycle rider and dumped their bodies in a soakaway pit by the shrine”
The Police PRO stated that the remains of the victims had been evacuated and currently at the mortuary awaiting autopsy.
“The suspects are in custody, and the remains of the victims have been evacuated and deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.
“The Commissioner of Police, Delta State, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, assures the public that the command will ensure that justice is served in this case,” the statement added.
