By Nike Ozioma
The Delta State Police Command has arrested a 20-year-old herbalist, Amechi Okwuokenye, and his stepbrother, Smart Okwuokenye, 26, for allegedly abducting and killing two men in Owa-Alidima, Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, who confirmed that the victims — Friday Liberty, 22, and Isioma Ugbeje, a commercial motorcyclist — were declared missing after Liberty visited the herbalist on September 30, 2025, and never returned.
According to the statement, Liberty’s family raised the alarm after receiving information from his girlfriend, who claimed she overheard a conversation linking him to the herbalist. Although Amechi initially denied any involvement, he reportedly offered to perform spiritual rituals to “bring Liberty back,” but the move proved futile.
The family subsequently petitioned the Agbor Area Command on October 14, prompting detectives to launch a full investigation. Police investigators later traced Liberty’s last known contact to the same herbalist. Surveillance was mounted around his shrine for several days, leading to his arrest on October 23, 2025. He was allegedly found hiding inside a refrigerator.
During interrogation, the herbalist reportedly confessed that he and his stepbrother kidnapped both Liberty and the motorcyclist who had conveyed him to the shrine. He allegedly revealed that Liberty had been a longtime customer who frequently sought charms to influence clients for financial gain.
The suspects allegedly demanded a ₦10 million ransom from Liberty’s family, and when the plan failed, they killed both victims and dumped their bodies in a soakaway near the shrine.
SP Edafe confirmed that the corpses have been recovered and deposited at a mortuary for autopsy, while the suspects remain in police custody as investigation continues.
