Osun Governor Orders Action On Ipetumodu Stool After Monarch’s US Fraud Conviction

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has directed the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Dosu Babatunde, to take swift action on the Ipetumodu throne crisis following the jailing of the community’s monarch, Oba Joseph Oloyede, in the United States for COVID-19 loan fraud.

Oba Oloyede, the 27th Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, was convicted in Ohio for fraudulently accessing U.S. pandemic loan schemes between April 2020 and February 2022. He was sentenced to over four years in prison, ordered to forfeit assets, and pay $4.4 million in restitution.

His conviction has split the Ipetumodu community, with some insisting the stool remain vacant until his return, while others are demanding an immediate replacement. A recent meeting of princes reportedly ended in chaos after disagreement on whether to declare the throne vacant.

Governor Adeleke addressed the issue at Friday’s State Executive Council meeting, alongside other policy matters including ICT expansion, youth agropreneurship, sports development, and climate change initiatives.

#Osun #Ipetumodu #Adeleke

Osun Kingmakers Oppose Plot to Dethrone Monarch Imprisoned in the U.S

Tension gripped Ipetumodu, Osun State, on Tuesday during a meeting of princes over the fate of Oba Joseph Oloyede, the 27th Apetumodu, recently jailed in the U.S. for COVID-19 loan fraud.

Oba Oloyede was sentenced to over four years in prison, ordered to forfeit assets, and repay $4.4m. His conviction has fueled calls for Governor Ademola Adeleke to declare the throne vacant.

At the palace meeting chaired by the Asalu of Ipetumodu, Chief Sunday Adedeji, calm gave way to chaos when a prince demanded that Adedeji, as the most senior kingmaker, formally notify the governor. Adedeji refused, announced he was no longer interested in being a kingmaker, and recused himself from the process. The decision triggered heated arguments, forcing the meeting to collapse without resolution.

Prince Olaboye Ayoola of the Aribile Ruling House expressed disappointment, saying: “We decided that two new kingmakers should be elected and a letter sent to the governor declaring the stool vacant. But Chief Adedeji rejected this, and chaos followed.”

Adedeji later confirmed his stance, stating only, “It is true. Peace has to reign first.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio confirmed Oloyede’s conviction in August, noting he exploited COVID-19 loan programmes under the CARES Act between 2020 and 2022.

The case has deepened divisions in Ipetumodu. Princes of Aribile argue the throne should remain with them, either until Oloyede completes his sentence or through another candidate from their house. But the rival Fagbemokun house insists it is their turn to produce the next Apetumodu.

Osun State’s Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dosu Babatunde, said the government would obtain a Certified True Copy of the U.S. judgment before deciding. Security was tight at the meeting, with DSS operatives stationed outside the palace.

The Osun State Government has said it will obtain the Certified True Copy of the judgment of a United States court that sentenced the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, to prison over a multimillion-dollar COVID-19 relief fund fraud

U.S. Court Jails Apetu of Ipetumodu for 56 Months Over COVID-19 Loan Fraud.

The Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, Oba Joseph Oloyede, has been sentenced to more than four years in prison in the United States for COVID-19 loan fraud.

Oloyede, 62, who holds dual Nigerian and U.S. citizenship and resides in Medina, Ohio, was on August 26 sentenced to 56 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, the monarch will also serve three years of supervised release and pay $4.4 million in restitution.

“He also forfeited his Medina home on Foote Road, which he had acquired with proceeds of the scheme, and an additional $96,006.89 in fraud proceeds investigators had seized,” the statement said. Prosecutors said Oloyede conspired with Edward Oluwasanmi to exploit emergency loan programmes meant for struggling businesses.

“From about April 2020 to February 2022, Oloyede and his co-conspirator… conspired to submit fraudulent applications for loans that were made available through the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act,” the Attorney’s Office noted.

Court documents show Oloyede was arrested on May 4, 2024, following a 13-count indictment. The FBI accused him of using six registered companies to obtain loans fraudulently, falsifying documents, and diverting the funds for personal use. In June 2020 alone, he secured over $100,000 in loans for four companies—Available Tax Services, Available Tutors, Available Financial, and Available Transportation.

He later obtained two separate $500,000 loans for JO&A and Available Transportation in October 2021. Investigators also revealed that Oloyede, an accountant, assisted others in filing false applications, collecting a percentage of disbursed loans.

“Oloyede assisted co-conspirators and confederate borrowers who submitted and caused to be submitted PPP and EIDL loan applications containing false information,” prosecutors stated.

News Brief: Nigerian Monarch Jailed 4 Years In U.S. Over $4.2m COVID-19 Fraud

The Apetu of Ipetumodu, Osun State, Oba Joseph Oloyede, has been sentenced to 56 months (over 4 years) in a U.S. prison for his role in a $4.2 million COVID-19 relief fraud scheme.

Oloyede, 62, who holds dual citizenship, was convicted of conspiring to submit fraudulent applications for emergency loans under the CARES Act between 2020 and 2022.

U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko also ordered him to pay $4.4 million in restitution, forfeit his Medina, Ohio home, and serve three years of supervised release after prison.

According to the FBI, Oloyede used his six companies to falsify records and secure loans meant for struggling businesses, diverting funds for personal use. He also assisted others in similar fraud schemes for a fee.

#Fraud #COVID19Relief #USJustice

Why I Defrauded America Of $4.2M”- Nigerian King Oba Joseph Oloyede Confesses In Court.

Oba Joseph Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu, pleaded guilty in a U.S. federal court to a $4.2 million COVID-19 relief fraud case.

The court hearing took place on August 19, 2025, in front of Judge Christopher Boyko in the Northern District of Ohio.
Oloyede’s defense cited pandemic-related pressures and his personal health issues as factors influencing his actions in the fraud scheme.

The Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, has admitted guilt in a U.S. federal court over a $4.2 million COVID-19 relief fraud case, a development that has sparked widespread reactions in both Nigeria and the United States.

At a hearing on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, before Judge Christopher Boyko of the Northern District of Ohio, his defense team argued that unusual pressures during the pandemic and his personal health struggles influenced his involvement in the scheme.

According to a sentencing memorandum cited by Peoples Gazette, Oloyede’s lawyers maintained that the COVID-19 outbreak created extreme social and financial pressures that drove individuals into unexpected actions. While stressing that the pandemic was not an excuse, they insisted it played a significant role in the monarch’s decisions.

The traditional ruler, who moved to the U.S. in the late 1990s, previously built a respectable career as a banker and adjunct lecturer before returning to Nigeria in 2019 to assume the throne of Ipetumodu. His attorneys described the case as a sharp break from his years of service, discipline, and leadership.

COVID-19 Drove Me Into $4.2m Fraud, Apetu of Ipetumodu Tells U.S. Court.

The Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, has pleaded for leniency before a U.S. court after admitting guilt in a $4.2 million COVID-19 relief fraud case that has drawn widespread attention in both Nigeria and the United States.

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 major role in pushing him into 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,” his counsel stated, adding that while the pandemic was not an excuse, it was a key factor, especially for Mr. Oloyede, who faced health challenges during the outbreak.

The 62-year-old traditional ruler was arrested by the FBI in May 2024 after disappearing from Nigeria two months earlier, sparking concerns in Ipetumodu over his absence from major traditional festivals such as Odun Egungun and Odun Edi.

He was accused of using six companies to file fraudulent loan applications under the U.S. Paycheck Protection Programme and Economic Injury Disaster Loan schemes.

Court records revealed that Oba Oloyede, who migrated to the U.S. in the late 1990s, had previously built a respectable career as a banker and adjunct professor before returning to Nigeria in 2019 to assume the throne. His lawyers described the fraud as a complete departure from his past life of service and responsibility, stressing that he had shown remorse and accepted full responsibility.

Prosecutors disclosed that part of the fraud proceeds were laundered through personal and business accounts, leading to the seizure of a Medina County property in Ohio and over $96,000 from one of his company’s bank accounts.

He was granted bail after surrendering both his U.S. and Nigerian passports but has since remained under court restrictions pending sentencing. Oba Oloyede, a father of six and foster parent to several others, is now scheduled to be sentenced on August 26, 2025.

U.S. Court Postpones Sentencing Of Osun Monarch.

Judge Boyko of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on Wednesday moved the sentencing of suspected fraudster Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede.

Recall that Mr. Oloyede is accused of orchestrating a $4.2 million COVID-19 relief scheme in which he allegedly falsified documents to secure business loans intended for pandemic-affected companies. U.S. prosecutors allege that the monarch diverted the funds for personal use and facilitated similar fraudulent applications for other individuals, charging commissions on loans that were successfully disbursed.

According to Peoples Gazette, Lawyer Michael Marein proposed August 29 as the new sentencing date to “procure the defendant’s medical records” for the court to take under advisement.

Originally scheduled for August 1, the sentencing was delayed after Mr. Marein requested more time to obtain the defendant’s medical records, arguing that the information was critical for the court’s consideration.

He cited a provision in U.S. law that requires all relevant documents to be filed no later than seven days before sentencing.

Mr. Marein explained that the records would not yet be ready by August 1, earmarked for sentencing, and subsequently asked the judge to adjourn sentencing to August 29.

Judge Boyko granted the request, however, moving the sentencing hearing to August 26.

Mr. Oloyede’s prolonged absence from the royal stool had ignited concerns among the people of Ipetumodu, who have had to perform key spiritual cleansing and fortification rituals without their traditional ruler.

Last year, the Oba missed the Odun Egungun and Odun Edi festivals.

It is unclear whether the Nigerian monarch, who also holds both a Nigerian and American passport, will lose his U.S. status, given that the Donald Trump administration recently released a directive to revoke the citizenship of immigrants convicted of crime.

If Mr. Oloyede, battling a 13-count fraud indictment, risks being stripped of his U.S. citizenship and deported from the country.

Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.

Nigerian Pastor Jailed in U.S. Over $4.2m COVID-19 Relief fra¥d, Osun Monarch Loses Property.

A U.S. District Court has sentenced Nigerian pastor Edward Oluwasanmi to 27 months in prison for his role in a multi-million-dollar COVID-19 relief fra¥d involving falsified applications under the U.S. Paycheck Protection Programme (PPP) and Economic Inj¥ry Disaster Loans (EIDL).

Oluwasanmi, convicted on three counts of fra¥d, was also fined $15,000 and ordered to report to the U.S. Marshal Service. He will serve a three-year supervised release after completing his sentence. The court also ordered the forfeiture of a commercial property he owned in South Euclid, Ohio.

His co-conspirator, Oba Joseph Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State and a U.S.-based accountant, pleaded guilty to related charges and is scheduled for sentencing on August 1. He has already forfeited property to the U.S. government.

The duo was arrested in early 2024 after U.S. investigators uncovered a scheme involving fake tax and wage documents used to fra¥dulently obtain $4.2 million in relief funds meant to help struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fra¥dulent activity occurred between April 2020 and February 2022. Oba Oloyede allegedly used multiple companies—including Available Tax Services Inc. and Available Financial Corporation—to facilitate the scam.

His guilty plea followed months of legal proceedings and a deal with U.S. prosecutors. The Osun State Government, reacting to the monarch’s legal troubles, said it is monitoring the case and will wait for the court’s final decision before taking any official action.

“A person is innocent until a court convicts them. We don’t want to jump the g¥n,” said Kolapo Alimi, Commissioner for Information. The monarch’s prolonged absence from public functions had already triggered a preliminary inquiry by the state government.

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