- Refuses to Declare Throne Vacant
- Pay Over $4.4 million In Restitution
- COVID-19 loan fraud
On Tuesday, a meeting of princes in Ipetumodu, Osun State, turned tense after a prince demanded that they declare the stool of the Apetumodu vacant.
According to Eko Hot Blog, the call came after Oba Joseph Oloyede, the 27th Apetumodu, was sentenced to more than four years in a U.S. prison for COVID-19 loan fraud. He was also ordered to forfeit assets and pay over $4.4 million in restitution.
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Specifically, Olaboye Ayoola, a prince from the Aribile Ruling House, demanded that the most senior kingmaker, Chief Sunday Adedeji, write a formal letter to Governor Ademola Adeleke to declare the throne vacant.
However, Adedeji rejected the request, saying he would not participate in any move to declare the stool vacant. His refusal sparked a shouting match, causing the meeting to break down without any resolution.
Adedeji later told a reporter that “peace has to reign first” before declining to comment further.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed Oba Oloyede’s conviction on August 26, 2025. Since the judgment, Ipetumodu has been unsettled, with divisions emerging between the two ruling houses — Aribile and Fagbemokun.
Princes from the Aribile house argue that the throne should remain with them until the king finishes his sentence, while princes from Fagbemokun insist it is their turn to produce the next monarch.
The Osun State government says it will obtain a Certified True Copy of the U.S. judgment before taking action.
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