By SULEIMAN SHEHU

Police in Oyo State have arrested five persons suspected to be killers of a 68-year-old retired Permanent Secretary in the state’s civil service, Mrs Olaitan Gbenle.

Assailants strangled Mrs Gbenle in her apartment at Apata area of Ibadan on Nov.10, 2023.

Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Mr Adebola Hamzat, paraded the suspects before newsmen on Wednesday in Ibadan alongside 30 others arrested on suspicion of murder, armed robbery, and cultism.

He said the five persons arrested over the murder of the former permanent secretary attacked the victim at her residence while armed with sophisticated weapons and dispossessed her of huge sums of money.

He added that the suspects collected the deceased’s mobile phones, a big generating set, laptops, and many other valuables and carted same away in her Toyota vehicles.

“As if that was not enough, the suspects murdered the deceased, leaving her in a pool of her own blood.

“The suspected leader of the robbery syndicate and two of his syndicate members were arrested at their various hideouts,’’ Hamzat said.

He added that the suspects voluntarily confessed to the crime and their leader explained that Gbenle was murdered because she recognised her attackers.

Hamzat said further investigations led to the arrest of the receiver of the two vehicles and the generating set stolen from the deceased’s residence.

One of the suspects told newsmen that he lived in the same community with the deceased and was the one who contacted other gang members to execute the crime.

“I was given N200,000 has my share after we sold her two vehicles,’’ he said.

Hamzat said some of those on parade attacked a pregnant woman who was in labour while on her way to the hospital on July 17, 2023 in company of her husband.

“The suspects dispossessed the couple of their Toyota Venza vehicle,’’ he said.

NAN reports that items recovered from the 35 suspects were 18 exotic vehicles, N820,000, mobile phones, one Master key, and one articulated vehicle.

Also recovered from them were six firearms, one human skull, a generating set and 3,137 cartons of seasoning cubes valued at N18 million. (NAN)