Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has approved the deposition of the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, following his conviction in the United States on tax fraud and money laundering-related offences.
The decision was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, who said the action followed the receipt of a Certified True Copy of the judgment delivered by a court in Ohio, United States.
According to the statement, the Osun State Executive Council had earlier directed the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to obtain the official court judgment before taking any action against the monarch.
Rasheed explained that the council decided to ensure that government action was based on verified legal documentation rather than reports circulating on social media.
He stated that the deposition order, signed by Governor Adeleke on May 7, 2026, was aimed at preserving the integrity of the traditional institution and maintaining peace and order in the state.
The statement noted that the governor considered the monarch’s conviction and guilty plea in the United States as conduct that had brought the traditional stool into disrepute.
“In the Deposition Order signed by His Excellency on 7th May, 2026, the action was predicated on the need to maintain peace, order, and good governance, as well as to preserve the honour and integrity of the royal stool.
“The Deposition Order further stated that the fraudulent conduct of Oba Joseph Oloyede, as found by the US court — to which he pleaded guilty — and his public trial and conviction have brought the institution of Obaship and the stool of Apetumodu of Ipetumodu to disrepute and public odium, hence the resort to deposition,” the statement read.
Oba Oloyede was sentenced by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on August 26, 2025, to 56 months imprisonment for wire fraud, filing false tax returns, and engaging in monetary transactions involving criminally derived property.
Following the deposition, the Osun State Government declared the Apetumodu stool vacant and said the process for selecting a new traditional ruler would commence at the appropriate time.
Governor Adeleke also appealed to residents and indigenes of Ipetumodu in Ife North Local Government Area to remain peaceful and law-abiding during the transition process.
