Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has approved the deposition of the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, following his conviction in the United States for fraud-related offences.
The decision, announced in a statement on Monday by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, was said to have been taken after the state government obtained a Certified True Copy of the judgment delivered by a United States court in Ohio.
Rasheed disclosed that the Osun State Executive Council had, in 2025, directed the Ministry of Local Government to formally request the court document, stressing that the government would not act on unverified reports circulating on social media.
He noted that the deposition order, signed by the governor on May 7, 2026, was driven by the need to uphold public order, safeguard the sanctity of traditional institutions, and preserve the integrity of the Apetumodu stool.
According to the statement, the monarch’s conviction — to which he reportedly pleaded guilty — had brought the revered traditional institution into disrepute.
“The fraudulent conduct of Oba Joseph Oloyede, as affirmed by the US court, and his subsequent conviction have subjected the stool of Apetumodu of Ipetumodu to public ridicule and odium, necessitating his deposition,” the statement read.
Oloyede was sentenced on August 26, 2025, by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio to 56 months’ imprisonment after being found guilty of wire fraud, filing false tax returns, and engaging in monetary transactions involving criminally derived property.
Following the development, the state government declared the Apetumodu stool vacant and announced that the process of appointing a new monarch would commence in line with extant laws and traditional procedures.
Governor Adeleke, however, urged residents and indigenes of Ipetumodu to remain calm and law-abiding as steps are taken to fill the vacant stool.
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