The Delta State Police Command has arrested a 20-year-old herbalist, Amechi Okwuokenye, and his stepbrother, Smart Okwuokenye, 26, for allegedly kidnapping and killing two men in Owa-Alidima, Ika North-East Local Government Area.
Police spokesperson SP Bright Edafe confirmed the arrests in a statement released on Sunday in Asaba. According to Edafe, the case began on September 30, 2025, when 22-year-old Friday Liberty visited the herbalist and never returned. After several failed attempts to reach him, Liberty’s family reported the incident to the Agbor Area Command on October 14.
Investigations revealed that the herbalist was the last person seen with the victim. Police laid surveillance around his shrine and arrested him on October 23 while he was hiding inside a refrigerator. During interrogation, Amechi confessed that he and his brother kidnapped Liberty and a motorcycle rider, Isioma Ugbeje, who had taken him to the shrine.
The suspects reportedly demanded a ransom of ₦10 million but later killed both victims and dumped their bodies in a soakaway pit behind the shrine. Police have since recovered the bodies and taken them to the mortuary for autopsy.
SP Edafe said the suspects are in custody, adding that Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, has vowed to ensure justice is served.
The case adds to Nigeria’s growing list of ritual-related killings involving self-proclaimed herbalists. Similar incidents were reported in Bauchi and Ogun states in recent years, underscoring the persistent danger of “money ritual” crimes linked to greed and superstition.
