The Osun State government has deposed the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba Gbenga Oloyede, with immediate effect, following his conviction and imprisonment in the United States over COVID-19-related fraud.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said the decision was reached after consultations, legal review, and approval by the State Executive Council.
According to the state government, the deposition of the monarch is in line with the Osun State Chiefs Law and other relevant legal provisions regulating traditional institutions.
“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 accordance with extant laws governing traditional rulers in the state,” the statement said.
The government also announced the withdrawal of the monarch’s staff of office and all instruments of authority, effectively declaring the stool of Apetumodu vacant.
It added that the process of selecting a new monarch would be communicated in due course, in line with customary procedures and legal frameworks guiding succession.
Security agencies have been directed to maintain law and order in Ipetumodu, while residents, kingmakers, and ruling houses were urged to remain calm.
The administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke reiterated its commitment to preserving the integrity of traditional institutions and ensuring due process in chieftaincy matters.
Oba Oloyede, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United States, was sentenced on August 26, 2025, by Christopher A. Boyko to four years in prison for orchestrating a scheme that exploited COVID-19 emergency loan programmes meant for struggling small businesses.
Prosecutors said he forfeited a property in Medina, Ohio, acquired with proceeds of the fraud, along with $96,006.89 traced to the scheme.
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He was also ordered to pay $4.4 million in restitution and serve three years of supervised release after his prison term.
The development follows months of tension in Ipetumodu, where divisions emerged over whether to keep the stool vacant pending the monarch’s return or to appoint a successor.
Representatives of the Aribile and Fagbemokun ruling houses, alongside kingmakers, had earlier called on the state government to formally declare the stool vacant and commence the selection of a new traditional ruler.
