The Osun State Government has deposed Oba Gbenga Oloyede as the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu in Ife North Local Government Area of the state, with immediate effect.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the decision followed consultations, legal review, and approval by the State Executive Council.
“Oba Oloyede, who was recently convicted in the United States for COVID-19-related fraud and is currently serving a prison sentence, was removed in line with state laws governing traditional institutions.
“This decision was taken in accordance with the Osun State Chiefs Law (as amended) and other relevant legal provisions guiding traditional institutions in the state,” the statement read in part.
The state government also announced the withdrawal of the staff of office and instruments of authority previously issued to the monarch, officially declaring the stool of Apetumodu of Ipetumodu vacant.
“The government will, in due course, communicate the appropriate steps regarding succession in line with customary and legal frameworks.
“Security agencies have been directed to maintain peace and order in the community, while residents, kingmakers, ruling houses, and stakeholders were urged to remain calm and law-abiding,” it added.
The state government reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the sanctity of traditional institutions and ensuring due process in all chieftaincy matters across Osun State.
Recall that Oloyede, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United States, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko to four years in prison on August 26, 2025.
He was convicted of leading a conspiracy to exploit COVID-19 emergency loan programmes intended to support struggling small businesses.
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, the deposed monarch forfeited his Medina, Ohio, home, purchased with proceeds of the scheme, and an additional $96,006.89 traced to fraud.
He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay $4,408,543.38 in restitution.
Since the judgment, Ipetumodu has been thrown into tension, with factions divided over whether to keep the stool vacant until Oba Oloyede’s return or to install a new monarch.
Two ruling houses in Ipetumodu and the kingmakers in the town had asked Governor Ademola Adeleke to declare the stool vacant and initiate the process for the appointment of a new monarch.
The representatives of the ruling houses, Aribile and Fagbemokun, at a press conference, accused the state government of deliberately slowing down the process of appointment of a new monarch after the monarch’s conviction in the United States of America for fraud.