THE Delta State Police Command has disclosed that a herbalist in Owa-Alidinma, Ika North East Local Council, allegedly murdered two victims and dumped their bodies in a soakaway pit by a shrine.
The Command’s spokesman, Bright Edafe (SP), in a statement on Sunday, October 26, said the suspects, identified as Amechi Okwuokenye, 20, and his step brother, Smart Okwuokenye, 26, kidnapped one Liberty Friday, who patronised the herbalist for charms to boost his trade, and a motorcycle rider, Isioma Ugbeje, for ransom, but later killed them when the plan to obtain a N10million ransom from their families failed.
According to him: “It was a case of the hunter becoming the hunted, when on the 30th of September 2025, Friday Liberty, aged 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 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 14th October 2025. And this decision proved to be the turning point in the case, as the Area Command detectives embarked on an intelligence-led investigation.
“During the course of the investigation, the detectives uncovered the last person whom Friday contacted, and found out it was the same herbalist who denied knowing his whereabouts.”
He added: “Surveillance was laid around his shrine at Owa-Alidima in Ika North East LGA, for days, until he was arrested on 23rd October 2025, in his shrine while hiding inside a refrigerator.
“Upon arrest of the herbalist, Amechi Okwuokenye, he confessed that both he and his brother, Smart Okwuokenye, kidnapped the victim, Friday, and the motorcycle rider, Ugbeje, who carried him to the shrine.
“They further stated that Friday has 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.
“They kidnapped him and the Okada rider and demanded a ransom of Ten Million Niara (N10,000,000). 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.
“Suspects are in custody and the remains of the victims have been evacuated and deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.”
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