Osun deposes monarch jailed for fraud in US

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has approved the deposition of Oba Joseph Oloyede as the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu in Ife North Local Government Area of the state who was jailed in the United States of America for fraud.

This was contained in a statement issued on Monday in Osogbo by the spokesperson of the Governor, Malam Olawale Rasheed.

According to the statement, Oba Oloyede’s deposition followed his conviction in the United States of America on tax fraud and money laundering charges.

Rasheed said the governor’s decision followed the receipt of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Ohio court judgment convicting the traditional ruler.

He noted that in 2025, the State Executive Council directed the Ministry of Local Government to write to the Ohio Court to obtain a CTC of the judgment to serve as the basis for the government’s action.

According to him, the council justified its decision to contact the Ohio court on the grounds that government decisions should not be based solely on social media reports.

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Rasheed said that the Deposition Order signed by the governor on May 7 was predicated on the need to maintain peace, order, and good governance, as well as preserve the honour and integrity of the royal stool.

He added that the order cited the fraudulent conduct of Oba Oloyede as established by the United States court.

According to him, the crimes to which the deposed traditional ruler pleaded guilty as well as his public trial and conviction, had brought the institution of Obaship and the stool of the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu into disrepute and public odium.

He said this necessitated his deposition.

Rasheed said Oba Oloyede was sentenced to 56 months imprisonment on August 26, 2025 by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio for offences bordering on wire fraud, filing false tax returns, and engaging in monetary transactions involving criminally derived property.

He said that following the deposition, the stool of the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu had been declared vacant, while the necessary process for the appointment of a new Apetumodu would commence at the appropriate time.

Adeleke appealed to the people of Ipetumodu to remain peaceful and law-abiding while the process of selecting a new traditional ruler is ongoing.

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