A United States court has received a fresh plea for leniency from the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, Oba Joseph Oloyede, who admitted guilt in a $4.2 million COVID-19 relief fraud case that has shocked both Nigeria and the U.S.
In a sentencing memorandum filed on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, before Judge Christopher Boyko of the Northern District of Ohio, the monarch’s lawyers argued that the coronavirus pandemic played a significant role in his decision to commit the crime.
“COVID-19 affected all of us differently. Conduct that we would never expect from ourselves or others sometimes manifested itself as we encountered a completely different society. COVID-19 is not an excuse. But it is a factor. Particularly when, as did Joseph, one had to worry that pre-existing health problems could now become fatal if the virus was contracted,” the document quoted his counsel as saying.
Mr Oloyede, 62, was arrested by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in May 2024 after disappearing from Nigeria two months earlier, a move that raised concerns in his hometown where he missed important traditional festivals, including Odun Egungun and Odun Edi.
He was picked up in Cleveland on charges of using six companies to file fraudulent applications under the U.S. Paycheck Protection Programme and Economic Injury Disaster Loan schemes.
Court documents revealed that the monarch, who emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1990s and later earned a doctorate, had maintained a clean record for decades, working as an adjunct professor and banker before returning to Nigeria to be installed as Apetu of Ipetumodu in July 2019.
His lawyers stressed that the fraud was a sharp departure from his previously responsible life, adding that he has shown remorse and accepted responsibility.
Following his arrest, prosecutors alleged that he laundered part of the proceeds through personal and business accounts. The U.S. government subsequently seized a Medina County property in Ohio and more than $96,000 from one of his company’s accounts.
He was later granted bail after surrendering both his U.S. and Nigerian passports but remained under strict conditions pending final judgment.
The monarch, a father of six and foster parent to other children, now faces sentencing on August 26, 2025, after the court postponed an earlier date to review his sealed medical records.
Back in Osun State, his prolonged absence has left Ipetumodu without an active monarch, sparking concerns about succession and the leadership vacuum created by his ordeal.
