Bodies Recovered from Soakaway Pit in Owa-Alidima Shrine
The Delta State Police Command has uncovered a shocking case of ritual murder involving a self-acclaimed herbalist and his stepbrother, leading to the recovery of two decomposing bodies from a soakaway pit at Owa-Alidima, in Ika North-East Local Government Area of the state.
According to a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, the grisly discovery followed an intelligence-led investigation after the mysterious disappearance of one Friday Liberty, aged 22, who went missing on September 30, 2025, following a visit to a herbalist he had known for some time.
Family members of the deceased had raised an alarm when all efforts to reach him proved abortive. Acting on a tip-off from Liberty’s girlfriend, who recalled a conversation linking the deceased to a certain herbalist, the family contacted the suspect, who denied knowledge of his whereabouts but deceitfully offered to perform spiritual “incantations” to bring him back.
When the promises yielded no result, the family petitioned the Agbor Area Command on October 14, 2025. Detectives immediately swung into action and traced Liberty’s last known contact — which led straight to the same herbalist who had denied seeing him.
Surveillance was mounted around the suspect’s shrine, leading to the arrest of the herbalist, Amechi Okwuokenye, aged 20, who was found hiding inside a refrigerator during the police operation on October 23, 2025.
Upon interrogation, Amechi confessed that he and his stepbrother, Smart Okwuokenye (26), had kidnapped Friday Liberty and a commercial motorcycle rider, Isioma Ugbeje, who had conveyed Liberty to the shrine. He further revealed that he had long assisted Liberty with charms allegedly used to manipulate his clients into parting with money — a practice he described as “tying clients.”
The suspect told investigators that his brother had suggested abducting one of his clients for ransom. They subsequently lured Liberty and the motorcycle rider, demanded a ₦10 million ransom, and, when their plan failed, murdered both men and disposed of their bodies in a soakaway pit near the shrine.
Police have since recovered the remains of the victims, which have been deposited at the mortuary for autopsy. Both suspects remain in custody as investigations continue.
The Commissioner of Police, Delta State, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, has assured residents that the command will ensure justice is served, reiterating the commitment of the Delta Police Command to protecting lives and upholding the rule of law.
— Lagos Panorama News Desk
