Ruling houses ask Adeleke to depose jailed monarch, declare stool vacant

The two Ruling Houses in Ipetumodu, Osun State, have called on the State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, to approve the deposition of Oba Joseph Oloyede as Apetumodu of Ipetumodu.

Aribile -the Ruling House that produced Oloyede and Fagbemokun, in a letter addressed to Adeleke, through the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, dated October 13, 2025, also called on the governor to declare the stool of Apetumodu vacant.

In the letter, a copy of which was obtained in Osogbo on Wednesday, the ruling houses also called on the governor to direct the Ministry of Justice to lodge and domesticate the certified U.S. judgment with the appropriate Nigerian registry to complete the administrative record in support of deposition.

They noted that the Apetumodu stool has remained under suspension for over three years due to the prolonged absence of the Oba Oloyede, saying age-long customs and traditions of the town have been suffering as a result of the situation.

The letter read, “Now, following his conviction and sentencing to 56 months (4 and 5 years) imprisonment, along with an additional three years(3years) of supervised release in the United States of America (USA), the need for urgent government intervention has become even more compelling.

“On 26-27 August 2025, a United States Federal Court (Northern District of Ohio) sentenced Oba Joseph Oloyede to a custodial term of 56 months (over four years) following his guilty plea to serious offences arising from a multi-million-dollar COVID-19 relief fraud scheme.

“Official releases from U.S. authorities and multiple credible Nigerian media outlets confirm the conviction and sentence beyond dispute. The Osun State Government has publicly acknowledged the development and indicated its intention to obtain a certified copy of the U.S. judgment. These facts have brought the institution of the Apetumodu into disrepute both at home and abroad.”

Signed by 10 representatives of royal compounds in the two Ruling Houses, the prayers contained in the letter titled ‘JOINT LETTER FROM THE ARIBILE AND FAGBEMOKUN RULING HOUSES OF IPETUMODU,’ read further, “In view of the foregoing, and acting to safeguard the dignity of our forebears and the welfare of

Ipetumodu, we humbly request that Your Excellency: A. Approve the deposition of Oba Joseph Oloyede as Apetumodu of Ipetumodu pursuant to the Chiefs Law of Osun State and native law and custom, on the ground of a criminal conviction for offences of moral turpitude that have gravely tarnished the office.

“B. Declare the Apetumodu Stool vacant with immediate effect, and formally notify the Ife North Local Government and the Ipetumodu Chiefs in accordance with the government.

“C. Direct the Ministry of Justice to lodge and domesticate the certified U.S. judgment (and or authenticated records) with the appropriate Nigerian registry to complete the administrative record in support of deposition, consistent with Osun State’s earlier stated intention.”

They, however, affirmed commitment to a peaceful, lawful, and transparent succession under the Chiefs Law and the Apetumodu Chieftaincy Declaration, assuring readiness to cooperate fully with the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ife North Local Government, for a credible process that will restore honour to the throne.

The PUNCH reports that after months of hide and seek, bubbles around the mysterious disappearance of Oba Oloyede eventually burst in April 2025 as he appeared before a court in the Northern District of Ohio, United States.

A press release by the US Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Ohio on April 5, 2024, said Oba Oloyede and another defendant, Edward Oluwasanmi (61), were standing trial for their alleged roles in a scheme to fraudulently obtain $4.2m in COVID-19 relief funds.

The release further claimed the suspects floated a series of phoney businesses to allegedly receive $4.2m in funds designed to help small businesses and employees survive the coronavirus pandemic.

It further revealed that both defendants devised a means to defraud financial institutions by obtaining COVID-19 relief funds from SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan programme and the Paycheck Protection Programme under false pretences.

“Oloyede is also alleged to have submitted falsified PPP and EIDL loan applications in the names of other co-conspirators and confederate borrowers and their businesses, obtaining approximately $1.3m through those applications for a total of at least $4.2m obtained through the fraud,” the statement added.

The fate awaiting the two men became clearer and grimmer when, on Monday, April 21, Oba Oloyede submitted his guilty plea to the court. Oluwasanmi also pleaded guilty.

In early July, when the matter came up, the Court sentenced Oluwasanmi to 27 months imprisonment, while Apetu was made to forfeit his property to the US government as he waited for his own judgment slated for August 1.

However, the court did not pass its verdict until Tuesday, August 26. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, in a statement containing the judgment, said the monarch was sentenced to more than four years’ jail term.

U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko, in his judgment, also ordered Oba Oloyede to “serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $4,408,543.38 in restitution.”

The Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio statement further read, “He also forfeited his Medina home on Foote Road, which he had acquired with proceeds of the scheme, and an additional $96,006.89 in fraud proceeds investigators had seized,” the statement read. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Oloyede led a conspiracy to exploit COVID-19 emergency loan programmes created for struggling businesses.

“From about April 2020 to February 2022, Oloyede and his co-conspirator, Edward Oluwasanmi, conspired to submit fraudulent applications for loans that were made available through the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.”(Punch)