Osun State Governor, Mr. Ademola Adeleke, has approved the deposition of Oba Joseph Oloyede as the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu in Ife North Local Government Area following his conviction in the United States on tax fraud and money laundering charges.

A statement issued on Monday by the governor’s spokesperson, Mr. Olawale Rasheed, said Adeleke’s decision followed the receipt of a Certified True Copy of the Ohio court judgment convicting the monarch.

According to Rasheed, the Osun State Executive Council had earlier resolved that the Ministry of Local Government should formally request a Certified True Copy of the judgment from the Ohio court to serve as the basis for government action.

He explained that the council considered it inappropriate for official action to rely solely on social media reports.

“In the Deposition Order signed by His Excellency on May 7, 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 established 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 into disrepute and public odium, hence the resort to deposition,” the statement said.

Oba Oloyede was sentenced to 56 months’ imprisonment by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on August 26, 2025, for wire fraud, filing false tax returns, and engaging in monetary transactions involving criminally derived property.

Rasheed stated that, following the deposition, the stool of the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu has been declared vacant, while the necessary processes to appoint a new monarch would commence at the appropriate time.

The governor appealed to indigenes of Ipetumodu to remain peaceful and law-abiding as the process of selecting and installing a new traditional ruler progresses.