The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has urged Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, to immediately initiate the statutory process of dethroning Oba Joseph Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu, who was recently sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in the United States for COVID-19 relief fund fraud.
On August 26, Judge Christopher A. Boyko of the Northern District of Ohio handed down the jail term after Oba Oloyede pleaded guilty to orchestrating a multi-million-dollar fraud using six companies to illegally obtain loans under U.S. emergency relief schemes, including the Paycheck Protection Programme (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL).
Apart from the jail term, the monarch was also ordered to repay $4.4 million to victims of the fraudulent scheme.
In a letter addressed to Governor Adeleke and signed by its Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, HEDA described the conviction as a moral stain that disqualifies the monarch from occupying the revered stool of Ipetumodu.
“Traditional rulers are symbols of culture, values, and integrity. A person convicted of fraud abroad cannot continue to preside over a sacred throne at home. Leaving him on the stool would amount to desecrating Osun’s traditional institutions,” Suraju said.
The organisation warned that failure to remove the embattled monarch would amount to condoning criminality and tarnishing the image of Osun State and Nigeria at large.
HEDA maintained that traditional rulers should embody honesty and dignity, noting that any compromise would erode public trust in the institution.
The group assured that it would continue to monitor developments on the matter and remain committed to promoting accountability, transparency, and respect for the rule of law in governance and leadership.
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