The Osun State Government has said it will formally obtain a certified copy of the judgment of a United States court that convicted the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, of COVID-19 relief fund fraud, before determining the monarch’s fate on the throne.
Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Dosu Babatunde, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, stressing that the government would not act on unverified reports circulating on social media.
“While it may be true that the monarch has been convicted and jailed, there is no official record before us,” Babatunde stated. “We will ensure that the Certified True Copy of the judgment is obtained. After carefully studying it, the government will then decide the appropriate steps to take. We cannot rely on Facebook posts and online stories to justify a matter of this magnitude.”
Oba Oloyede, 62, who holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and the United States, was on Tuesday sentenced to 56 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to refund $4,408,543.38 to the U.S. government.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, the monarch forfeited his Medina, Ohio residence, purchased with proceeds from the fraudulent scheme, as well as $96,006.89 traced to the conspiracy.
Investigators established that the traditional ruler masterminded a plot that manipulated COVID-19 emergency loan programmes designed to assist small businesses struggling during the pandemic.
The development has triggered debates across Osun State, with many residents awaiting the government’s next line of action on the traditional stool of Ipetumodu.
