The Osun State Government has announced plans to obtain the Certified True Copy of the judgment delivered by a United States court which convicted and sentenced the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede
AFRIPOST reports that the monarch, who holds dual Nigerian and American citizenship, was on Tuesday handed a 56-month jail term by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko.
He was also ordered to undergo 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, Oloyede forfeited his Medina, Ohio home purchased with proceeds of the crime, along with $96,006.89 traced to the fraudulent scheme.
The monarch was convicted for leading a conspiracy that exploited emergency loan programmes meant to support small businesses affected by the pandemic.
Speaking exclusively to PUNCH, the Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Dosu Babatunde, said the government would not act based on social media 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.
He explained that the state would obtain the CTC of the judgment before deciding on the fate of the monarch.
“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,” Babatunde stated.
Meanwhile, Ipetumodu community remained calm on Wednesday, even as residents quietly discussed the monarch’s ordeal.
Sources disclosed that chiefs held a meeting at the palace to deliberate on the issue.
The most senior chief in the town, Sunday Adedeji, when contacted, 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 records showed that between April 2020 and February 2022, Oloyede, a tax preparer who owned five businesses and a nonprofit, conspired with 62-year-old Edward Oluwasanmi of Willoughby, Ohio, to file fraudulent applications for COVID-19 relief loans.