Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has approved the deposition of Oba Joseph Oloyede as the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu in Ife North Local Government Area following the receipt of a certified true copy of a United States court judgment convicting the monarch of tax fraud and money laundering offences.
The deposition order, signed by the governor on May 7, 2026, cited the need to maintain peace, order, and good government and preserve the honor and integrity of the royal stool, stating that the fraudulent conduct confirmed by the US court and the monarch’s public trial and conviction had brought the institution of traditional rulership and the stool of Apetumodu into disrepute and public odium.
Oba Oloyede was sentenced to 56 months imprisonment by the United States District Court in the Northern District of Ohio on August 26, 2025, for wire fraud, making false tax returns, and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.
The governor’s action followed a resolution by the Osun State Executive Council that the Ministry of Local Government should obtain the certified true copy of the Ohio court judgment before the government acted, citing the principle that governmental decisions should not be based on social media reporting alone.
By the deposition order, the stool of Apetumodu of Ipetumodu was declared vacant and the governor appealed to the people of Ipetumodu to remain peaceful and law-abiding while the process of selecting a new traditional ruler was initiated.
