Conviction of Osun Monarch in U.S. an Ugly Development, Says Adeleke
Conviction of Osun Monarch in U.S. an Ugly Development, Says Adeleke
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has described the conviction of the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, in the United States of America as “an ugly development” and directed the state’s Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to urgently wade into the matter.
The governor’s directive, issued on Friday through the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Dosu Babatunde, followed growing tension in Ipetumodu community over the fate of the traditional stool.
While some indigenes are insisting the throne should remain vacant pending the monarch’s eventual return, others are mounting pressure on the government to commence the process of selecting a new traditional ruler.
Oba Oloyede, the 27th Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, was recently sentenced to more than four years in prison by a U.S. court for COVID-19 loan fraud.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio on August 26, 2025, the monarch and an associate were found guilty of fraudulently exploiting COVID-19 loan programmes under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act between April 2020 and February 2022.
Governor Adeleke, reacting to the development, expressed concern that the conviction of a first-class traditional ruler had cast a shadow on the revered institution.
He noted that the state government would carefully handle the situation to prevent further crises in Ipetumodu.
“This is a very ugly development that affects not just Ipetumodu but the entire traditional institution in Osun State. We must act with caution and fairness to preserve peace and stability,” the governor was quoted as saying.
The Apetumodu stool is one of the prominent traditional thrones in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State. The government’s intervention is expected to determine whether a regent will be appointed in the interim or if the selection of a new Apetumodu will commence while Oba Oloyede serves his prison term abroad.
