Ipetumodu Stool And Limit Of Obaship Affront

By Mobolaji Sanusi

“Neither soldiers nor money can defend a king but only friends won by good deeds, merit, and honesty.” —Gaius Sallustius Crispus (86–35/34 BC)

In a faraway town of Ipetumodu in present-day Osun State, South-west Nigeria, an avoidable and antisocial traditional rulership behaviour is brewing, with grave consequences for the Obaship system across Yorubaland, if allowed to stand.

The world is watching as an otherwise straightforward resolution of an Obaship infraction is regrettably becoming legally intractable. Unless this avoidable but shameful standoff is checked, Ipetumodu might set a precedent that could haunt the traditional values and morals handed down through generations by Yoruba ancestors.

Oba Joseph Oloyede, the deposed Apetumodu of Ipetumodu who disappeared from his palace in March 2024, is the dramatis persona of this whole saga. Oloyede ascended the throne of his forefathers as the 27th Apetumodu in November 2019, following the death of Oba James Adedokun Adegoke in November 2017.

Sometime around May 2024, his coterie of high chiefs, presumably based on what he had told them, may well have believed that he had travelled to the United States on a routine visit, having been resident there until his coronation as an Oba. But his case changed when, upon arrival in the United States, he was arrested and taken into custody by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The now deposed monarch was subsequently charged with defrauding the United States government of $4.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

At that point, a hitherto respected traditional ruler from a prominent town in Yorubaland became an accused person who was treated like a common criminal. He was arraigned and tried in a court of law. On August 26, 2025, he was reportedly sentenced by Judge Christopher A. Boyko of the Northern District of Ohio to five years’ imprisonment. He was also ordered to repay more than $4.4 million to victims and to forfeit traceable assets acquired from the proceeds of the fraud.

Cumulatively, since March 2024 when Oloyede disappeared from the palace, the deposed monarch has been absent from his stool for an unexplained period of 32 months. More striking is the fact that it was not until May 7, 2026, about 26 months after his disappearance, that Governor Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke, after due diligence, firmly took the decision to depose him. The governor requested and received a Certified True Copy of the Ohio court judgment that convicted Oloyede.

This official decision is difficult to dismiss in view of the government’s rationale for his deposition, which it aptly describes as follows: “The fraudulent conduct of Oba Joseph Oloyede, as found by the U.S. court and 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.”

Shockingly, and in wanton disregard for the decency expected of traditional rulership, the deposed monarch, acting in cahoots with some members of his kindred, threw the cherished Yoruba tradition of decorum to the winds by challenging his lawful and morally grounded deposition in court, seeking a judicial order to stop the process of filling the vacant stool by the governor. The suit, as reported in The Punch newspaper, was filed on September 16, 2026 by Oloyede alongside other claimants from his Latimogun Royal Family of the Arinola Ruling House of Ipetumodu. This suit is of public interest and should concern all Yoruba freeborn and lovers of tradition anywhere except those that are morally depraved.

Oloyede and fellow travellers also curiously allege that Governor Adeleke did not formally notify him of any infraction before commencing the process to replace him. This cannot be true and the question is: Do Yoruba traditional rulership customs and traditions allow an individual Oba to govern his domain from prison? If not, what is the legal basis for Oloyede and his supporters asking the court to halt the process of filling the stool of Apetumodu until the substantive suit is determined; a substantive suit which, in this particular instance, is nothing but a sheer waste of the court’s precious time and energy?

The issue going on in Ipetumodu should not be viewed as peculiar to that domain alone. It is an issue with dire consequences for Yoruba’s traditional rulership institution if not properly addressed by sons and daughters of Oodua anywhere in the world. The beaded crown on any Oba in any part of Yorubaland carries monumental significance that places on the shoulders of the wearer the custodial power over its history, culture and the traditional destiny of thousands of inhabitants of that domain and, by extension, that of Yorubaland in general.

Nigeria is a country where, until recently, history is untaught in schools, a situation that has saddled the Obaship traditional institution with ensuring the thoughtful preservation and nurturing of our heritage.
Following from the foregoing is that in any country like ours where history is for a long time not taught in any academic curriculum, it is the duty of the Obaship and traditional leaders, considered amongst others as “Kabiyesi”, one whose authority cannot be questioned, and “Alase Igbakeji Orisa”, second only to the gods, to ensure that our culture, morals and heritage are preserved and nurtured. To live up to this standard, such an Oba must be one of unimpeachable character and not a criminal that is not worthy of being called a true model for his subjects.

Yours sincerely believes that a true Oba occupying an ancestral stool must inspire reverence because he is expected to symbolise the Yoruba principle of Omoluabi, which places an undeniable premium on self and communal integrity, character, wisdom and respect. For any Yoruba Oba to be the moral compass of his domain, where he is expected to dispense justice in conflict situations and prevent moral decay, he must be above board. The deposed Oba Oloyede has failed this test of character.

Everyone with Yoruba DNA in his bloodline must rise against the trend of having dubious charlatans become Obas anywhere in the land of Oodua. As the first and last line of defence of our ancestral heritage, such morally depraved people masquerading as Oba cannot be respected custodians of our identity, land, ancestral wisdom, traditions, cultures, customs and values.

Nowhere in Yoruba land should a court affirmed criminal or someone devoid of ‘Omoluabi’ values be allowed to ascend our revered Obaship thrones. All leading Obas in the land of Oodua should rally round Governor Adeleke and ensure he’s not blackmailed for doing the right thing necessary to protect our ancient traditional Obaship values.

The kingmakers must also bear a significant share of the blame for the emergence of individuals of questionable character on the traditional thrones within their respective domains. In the days of old, Obas were traditionally chosen through Ifá divination, and upon their selection, they underwent a period of seclusion (Ipebi), during which they received extensive traditional orientation on the magnitude of their powers, the enormous responsibilities attached to their stools and the mystique surrounding their thrones. These sacred rites and time-honoured practices were not mere formalities; they were essential to preparing the chosen individuals for the spiritual, cultural and moral responsibilities of kingship.

Sadly, much of this has been abandoned, largely due to the pecuniary interests of some kingmakers and the reckless disposition of certain Obas who, in the name of modernisation, have disregarded the very traditions that confer dignity, respect and reverence upon their thrones and occupiers. They seem to forget that the majesty of a traditional throne lies not merely in the authority it commands but also in the mystique, sacredness and ancestral heritage surrounding both the throne and its occupant, who, in traditional Yoruba cosmology, is regarded as occupying a position next only to the gods of the land.

Equally disheartening is the growing tendency among some Yoruba Obas to ridicule or openly disparage the age-old customs, traditions and values of their respective domains. This is particularly troubling because, by virtue of the ancestral thrones they occupy, they are expected to be the foremost custodians, protectors and promoters of these cultural legacies. Were such Obas not reminded, before or during their ascension to the thrones of their forefathers, that one of their fundamental responsibilities was to preserve and uphold the customs, traditions and cultural identity of their people?

Yours sincerely strongly believe that the time has come for a more deliberate and uncompromising traditional approach to the selection and installation of traditional rulers. Princes ascending the thrones of their forebears should be required to swear an oath of fidelity to the customs, traditions and values of their respective domains. Such an oath should not be treated as a mere ceremonial ritual but as also as a solemn and binding commitment to preserve the ancestral heritage, cultural identity and traditional institutions entrusted to their care. After all, one cannot claim the honour, authority and privileges of an ancestral throne while simultaneously undermining the traditions that give it meaning and legitimacy under the guise of embracing modernity or any foreign religions. This is grossly unacceptable.

The gods of Yoruba land will inflict their wrath on any Oba who commits abominations capable of denigrating our cultural heritage and values. From the example of this deposed Oba Oloyede of Ipetumodu, it is clear that an Oba can only hide his misdeeds from his subjects but not from his ancestors/gods without incurring dire consequences for such abominable infractions. For those that have ears, let them hear.

I hereby rest my case for this week.

•Sanusi, former MD/CEO of the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, is currently Managing Partner at AMS RELIABLE SOLICITORS. (WhatsApp only: 07011117777)