Delta State — A 20-year-old herbalist, Amechi Okwuokenye, has been arrested by operatives of the Delta State Police Command for the gruesome murder of one of his clients and the motorcyclist who brought the client to his shrine in Owa-Alidima, Ika North-East Local Government Area of the state. The decomposing bodies of the victims were discovered inside a septic tank located beside the suspect’s shrine.
According to preliminary police investigations, one of the victims, Liberty Friday, aged 22, had visited the herbalist for what was believed to be a routine consultation. However, after several days passed without his return, his family became alarmed and launched an extensive search for him.
Family members later learned from Liberty’s girlfriend—whose name has been withheld—that she overheard a conversation linking the missing young man to the herbalist. Acting on this information, the family confronted Amechi Okwuokenye, who denied any knowledge of Liberty’s whereabouts. Shockingly, the suspect allegedly offered to perform “spiritual incantations” to help “bring him back,” collecting money from the family for the ritual.
Unsatisfied with his explanation, the distraught family petitioned the Agbor Area Command on October 14, 2025, prompting an intelligence-driven police investigation. Investigators later discovered that the herbalist was the last person seen with the missing Liberty Friday.
Following several days of surveillance around his shrine, police operatives eventually arrested Amechi Okwuokenyeon October 23, 2025, after he was found hiding inside a refrigerator in an attempt to evade capture.
Confirming the development, the Spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, said the suspect later made a shocking confession during interrogation. According to Edafe, the herbalist admitted that he and his 26-year-old brother, Smart Okwuokenye, had kidnapped and murdered the two victims — Liberty Friday and the motorcycle rider identified as Isioma Ugbeje, who had conveyed Liberty to the shrine.
“Upon the arrest of the herbalist, Amechi Okwuokenye, he confessed that he and his brother kidnapped the victim, Liberty Friday, and the motorcycle rider who brought him to the shrine,” Edafe said.
The suspect further revealed that Liberty had been his long-time client, who often visited him for “spiritual work”—particularly rituals to “hypnotise” others into giving him money easily, a practice locally referred to as “tying clients.”
However, Amechi claimed that his elder brother, Smart, approached him, saying he urgently needed money and suggested they lure one of his clients for a ransom operation. Liberty was reportedly chosen as the target.
“They kidnapped him and the okada rider and demanded a ransom of ₦10 million. When they realised the plan was not working, they murdered both men and dumped their bodies in a septic pit beside the shrine,” Edafe said.
The Police PRO confirmed that the suspects are currently in custody and that the remains of the victims have been evacuated and deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Commissioner of Police has commended the swift response of the Agbor Area Command and reiterated the command’s commitment to tracking down all criminal elements in the state. He also assured that the case would be diligently investigated and prosecuted to ensure justice for the victims and their families.
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