Temper flares during a meeting of princes in Ipetumodu, Osun State, after a call was made for Governor Ademola Adeleke to declare the stool of the Apetumodu vacant following the conviction of Oba Joseph Oloyede in the United States.


Oba Oloyede, the 27th Apetumodu, was recently sentenced to more than four years’ imprisonment in the U.S. for COVID-19 loan fraud.


He was also ordered to forfeit assets and pay over $4.4m in restitution.

Read Also: Osun Monarch Jailed for $4.2m COVID-19 relief fraud In US


The meeting, held within the palace and presided over by the Asalu of Ipetumodu, Sunday Adedeji, progressed without chaos until a prince demanded that Adedeji, as the most senior surviving kingmaker, write a formal letter to Governor Adeleke declaring the throne vacant
Adedeji, however, rejected the request and reportedly recused himself from any move to declare the stool vacant.


His stance erupted a shouting match among the attendees, causing the meeting to break down.



Since the judgement, Ipetumodu has been unsettled, with calls mounting for the state government to decide on the monarch’s fate.


Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dosu Babatunde, informed reporters that the government would obtain a Certified True Copy of the U.S. judgmet before taking action.


Security was tight at the disrupted meeting, with Department of State Services operatives stationed in a patrol van outside the palace.

Source: Punch