Fresh tension has engulfed Ipetumodu town in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State as princes from two rival ruling houses clash over the throne of the Apetumodu following the conviction of the incumbent monarch, Oba Joseph Oloyede, in the United States.
Oba Oloyede, the 27th Apetumodu, was recently sentenced to over four years in prison for COVID-19 loan fraud, alongside an order to forfeit assets and pay more than $4.4 million in restitution.
The monarch’s conviction has deepened a decades-long rivalry between the Aribile and Fagbemokun royal lineages, both of whom are laying claim to the vacant stool.
At a heated meeting of princes on Tuesday, Olaboye Ayoola of the Aribile Ruling House insisted the throne must be declared vacant and asked the most senior kingmaker, Sunday Adedeji, to notify Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Adedeji, however, rejected the demand, sparking a shouting match that abruptly ended the gathering.
While the Aribile family maintains that the throne should remain within their lineage until Oba Oloyede completes his sentence, the Fagbemokun ruling house argues that tradition requires an immediate rotation of the crown.
The crisis has unsettled residents, prompting calls for calm. The National President of the Ipetumodu Progressive Union, Dr. Israel Akinjogbin, urged the community to separate the monarch’s legal troubles abroad from the peace of the town.
“The news of the conviction is shocking, but we must not allow it to disrupt harmony at home,” he said.
In his reaction, Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dosu Babatunde, said the government would not act on speculation.
He stressed that a Certified True Copy of the U.S. judgment must be obtained before any decision is taken.
“The state government cannot rely on social media reports in a matter as sensitive as this,” he noted.
Meanwhile, community stakeholders have appealed to indigenes to remain law-abiding and avoid any action that could plunge the town into unrest.
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