Delta Police Arrest 20-Year-Old Herbalist, Stepbrother Over Murder of Two in Agbor

The Delta State Police Command has arrested a 20-year-old herbalist, Amechi Okwuokenye, and his stepbrother, Smart Okwuokenye, aged 26, for the kidnap and murder of two men — identified as Friday Liberty (22) and Isioma Ugbeje, a commercial motorcyclist — in Owa-Alidima, Ika North East Local Government Area of the state.

According to a statement issued on Sunday, October 26, 2025, by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, the arrest followed an intelligence-led investigation by operatives of the Agbor Area Command.

The chilling crime began on September 30, when Friday Liberty, 22, visited the herbalist — whom he had reportedly patronized for spiritual help — but never returned home. His family, after days of fruitless searching, petitioned the Agbor Area Command on October 14, prompting detectives to launch an investigation.

During the probe, police surveillance was mounted around the herbalist’s shrine in Owa-Alidima, where he was eventually arrested on October 23 while hiding inside a refrigerator.

Upon interrogation, Amechi Okwuokenye confessed that he and his elder brother, Smart, had kidnapped and murdered Liberty and the Okada rider, Ugbeje, after a failed ransom attempt.

“The herbalist admitted that Friday Liberty had been his client who sought charms to ‘hypnotize’ customers into giving him money. His elder brother later convinced him to lure Liberty for ransom. When their ₦10 million demand failed, they killed both victims and dumped their bodies in a soakaway pit by the shrine,” Edafe revealed.

The police have since recovered the remains of the two victims, now deposited at a mortuary for autopsy.

Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, condemned the brutal act and assured that justice will be served, reiterating the Command’s commitment to ensuring the safety of all residents in Delta State.