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Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has officially approved the deposition of the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, following the monarch’s conviction and imprisonment in the United States over fraud-related offences. The decision was announced in a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, after the state government received the Certified True Copy of the Ohio court judgment. 
According to the Osun State Government, the monarch was convicted by a United States District Court in Northern Ohio for offences including wire fraud, filing false tax returns, and engaging in transactions involving criminal proceeds linked to COVID-19 relief funds fraud. Oba Oloyede was sentenced in August 2025 to 56 months imprisonment and ordered to pay over $4.4 million in restitution after pleading guilty to the charges. 
The government stated that the deposition order, signed on May 7, 2026, was taken to preserve the integrity of the traditional institution and maintain public confidence in the royal stool. The statement added that the monarch’s conviction and public trial had brought the Apetumodu throne and the institution of Obaship into “disrepute and public odium,” making his removal necessary. Authorities also announced that the stool of the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu has now been declared vacant pending the commencement of processes for selecting a new monarch. 
The development follows months of controversy and pressure from ruling houses and residents of Ipetumodu, who had repeatedly called on the state government to remove the monarch after his conviction in the United States. Governor Adeleke appealed to residents of the community to remain peaceful and law-abiding as the succession process begins. 
