Tension is mounting in Ipetumodu, Osun State, following the conviction and jailing of the town’s monarch, Oba Joseph Oloyede, in the United States over COVID-19 relief fund fraud — a development that has triggered agitation among residents and traditional rulers for his removal from the throne.
From Palace to Prison
Oba Oloyede, a U.S.-based tax consultant, ascended the throne as the 27th Apetumodu of Ipetumodu in November 2019, following his appointment by former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola. He succeeded Oba James Adegoke, who passed away in November 2017.
The monarch’s reign began smoothly, with several developmental projects earning him praise from residents and even former rivals. However, by August 2024, questions began to surface when the king failed to attend traditional festivals, sparking rumours about his whereabouts.
While some claimed the royal father was indisposed, others speculated that he was facing legal troubles in the United States.
Those suspicions were confirmed in April 2025, when Oba Oloyede appeared before a U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Ohio on charges of conspiracy to commit COVID-19 relief fund fraud.
The Fraud Case
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, Oba Oloyede and a co-defendant, Edward Oluwasanmi (61), fraudulently obtained over $4.2 million in pandemic relief funds through fake business entities.
The statement alleged that Oloyede submitted falsified Paycheck Protection Programme (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications in his name and those of accomplices, netting about $1.3 million personally.
Both men pleaded guilty in April 2025. While Oluwasanmi was sentenced to 27 months in prison, Oba Oloyede received a sentence of over four years, alongside an order to pay $4.4 million in restitution and serve three years of supervised release. He also forfeited his home in Medina, Ohio, and nearly $100,000 in fraud proceeds.
Crisis Brews at Home
The monarch’s imprisonment has left a leadership vacuum in Ipetumodu. While calm appears to prevail under the oversight of Chief Sunday Adedeji, the Asalu of Ipetumodu and highest-ranking chief, tensions simmer beneath the surface.
The dispute now revolves around which ruling house — Aribile or Fagbemokun — should produce the next monarch.
Oba Oloyede hails from the Aribile Ruling House, which argues that since the imprisoned king did not reign for long and remains alive, another prince from the same house should succeed him.
However, princes from the Fagbemokun Ruling House insist that the stool must revert to them, as rotation demands, once the Aribile reign ends.
Government Intervention
Following mounting pressure, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke directed the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters to take action on the matter.
Commissioner Dosu Babatunde confirmed the development, stating briefly that the ministry was “working on the directive of the Governor.”
Princes from both ruling houses welcomed the move.
Prince Olaboye Ayoola of Aribile Ruling House described Adeleke’s directive as “an expression of love for Ipetumodu people,” adding that it had halted efforts by some to preserve the throne for the convicted monarch.
Similarly, Prince Funsho Adeniji of the Fagbemokun Ruling House commended the governor’s decision, saying it would “prevent a looming crisis” and allow a fair process to install a competent successor.
‘An Ex-Convict Can’t Be King’
Traditional leaders have also weighed in on the controversy.
Dr. Oluseyi Atanda, the Ajana Awo of Osogbo and President of the Traditional Religious Worshippers Association of Osun State, condemned what he called the government’s “weak handling” of the case.
“He is an ex-convict. He cannot be a king again,” Atanda said. “In Yoruba tradition, a monarch found guilty of theft or fraud is considered unfit to sit on the throne.”
He recalled that in pre-colonial times, such offences would have led to the monarch being forced to “open the calabash” — a euphemism for suicide — to preserve the sanctity of the stool.
Atanda urged the government to obtain the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment to formalize Oba Oloyede’s removal, warning that traditionalists would resist any attempt to reinstate him upon his release.
“If a monarch convicted of stealing remains on the throne, it means he is the godfather of thieves,” he said. “We will not allow that in Yorubaland.”
Awaiting Clarity
For now, Ipetumodu remains without a monarch, and its people await a decisive move from the state government to end the uncertainty.
Whether the stool returns to the Aribile Ruling House or rotates to Fagbemokun, one thing is clear — the once peaceful town now finds itself divided over the fate of its disgraced monarch.
