The Osun State Government has said it will obtain the Certified True Copy of the judgment of a United States court that sentenced the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, to prison over a multimillion-dollar COVID-19 relief fund fraud.
Oloyede, 62, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United States, was sentenced on Tuesday, August 26, to 56 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay $4,408,543.38 in restitution. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, the monarch forfeited his Medina, Ohio home, purchased with proceeds of the scheme, alongside an additional $96,006.89 linked to fraud.
He was convicted for leading a conspiracy that exploited emergency loan programmes created to support small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on Wednesday, the Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Dosu Babatunde, said the government would not take action based on unverified reports. “While it may be true that the monarch has been convicted and jailed, there is no official record with us. We cannot rely on Facebook posts and stories to justify such a serious matter,” he said.
Babatunde confirmed that the government would obtain the Certified True Copy of the judgment before deciding on the monarch’s stool. “We will direct that the Certified True Copy of the judgment be obtained. After studying it, the government will then decide on the next steps,” he added.
In Ipetumodu, calm prevailed on Wednesday, though residents quietly discussed the development. Chiefs in the town were said to have held a meeting at the palace on the monarch’s fate.
The most senior chief, Sunday Adedeji, said, “May God never allow chaos in our community. By the grace of God, He will be in total and complete control. There is no crisis in the town, and we do not envisage any.”
Court documents showed that between April 2020 and February 2022, Oloyede, who worked as a tax preparer and owned five businesses and a nonprofit, conspired with 62-year-old Edward Oluwasanmi of Willoughby, Ohio, to submit fraudulent applications for COVID-19 relief loans.
The fraudulent claims targeted the Paycheck Protection Programme and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan scheme under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, defrauding the U.S. government of more than $4.2 million.
Oloyede pleaded guilty to six counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, engaging in monetary transactions with criminally derived property, and making false tax returns.