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Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has approved the deposition of Joseph Oloyede as the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, following his conviction in the United States on tax fraud and money-laundering charges.
In a statement issued on Monday by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the state government recalled that the State Executive Council had directed the Ministry of Local Government last year to obtain the certified court judgment from the Ohio court before taking official action.
According to the statement, the council maintained that government decisions should not be based solely on reports circulating on social media. The statement noted that the deposition order, signed by Governor Adeleke on May 7, 2026, was to preserve peace, order and the integrity of the traditional institution.
The decision followed the receipt of the Certified True Copy of the judgment delivered by a court in Ohio, United States, which convicted the monarch.
It added that the monarch’s conviction and guilty plea in the United States had brought the royal stool and the institution of traditional rulership into disrepute, necessitating his removal.
The statement read, “The Council had justified the decision to contact the Ohio court on the ground that governmental decisions should not be based on social media reporting alone.”
“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 government as well as 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 and which he pleaded guilty to, 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.”
Oba Oloyede was earlier 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.
The state government further announced that the stool of the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu had been declared vacant and that steps would be initiated to appoint a new monarch in due course.
Governor Adeleke also appealed to residents and indigenes of Ipetumodu to remain peaceful and law-abiding while the process of selecting a new traditional ruler continues.
