•Cars, phones, ATM cards taken
It was shock and sorrow on Friday, November 10, 2023, when when the still body of a retired Permanent Secretary with the Oyo State Government, Ms Olaitan Gbenle, aged 69, was found in her home along All Saints College Road, Idi Ishin, off NIHORT area of Ibadan, after she was murdered through strangulation.
Though no one was sure of the exact time she was murdered, a credible source who informed Thenewsbearer said that it was likely to have occurred between Thursday night and Friday.
The source said the Ms Gbenle’s body was found with her hands and legs tied, while still was in the dress she wore when she went out on that Thursday.
After killing the retired Permanent Secretary, the assailants went with her two vehicles, phones and Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards.
Thenewsbearer also learnt that a day before Ms Gbenle was killed, she reported to the police that her life was being threatened by some hoodlums who used to smoke cannabis sativa close to her residence.
Ms Gbenle reportedly had a maid staying with her but she left two months ago.
She was to host a meeting of the retired permanent secretaries and heads of service on today, Thursday, November 16, before her gruesome murder.
The deceased’s only child, a daughter, is said to be a medical doctor.
Her gruesome murder has been condemned by the Association of Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries of Oyo and Osun States, (AREHSPSOOS), with a charge to the police authorities to find the perpetrators.
A condolence message signed by the Association’s chairman, Chief Bisi Adesola, also a retired SSG and HOS, the Association, on the group’s WhatsApp platform, read: “With the greatest sore regrets, I, on behalf of the Executive Committee of the Association of Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries of Oyo and Osun States, (AREHSPSOOS), announce the untimely death of Ms Elizabeth Olaniyan Gbenle.
“She was not only a loyally committed member of the Association, she served on the last Executive Committee demonstrably ably!
“As a result of this sad event, our 16th November, 2023 Quarterly meeting is hereby cancelled!
“Further details on her funeral services shall be communicated as soon as they are made available to us by the family!”
It was learnt that detectives in Oyo State Police Command had begun investigations on the murder case.
