Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede, is causing ripples in his domain as residents and indigenes call on Osun State, Governor Ademola Adeleke, to intervene and unravel the mystery behind his disappearance following his alleged involvement in a COVID-19 fraud case in the United States.
Oba Oloyede, a United States of America-based accountant and information system expert, was appointed new Apetu in July 2019. He succeeded Oba James Adegoke, who died on November 26, 2017.
It was learnt that the royal father had been regularly shuttling between Nigeria and his base in the US since his installation.
However, since March 2024 that he left his domain, he has not been seen, fueling speculations about his whereabouts.
While some of the residents who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of attack said Oloyede was indisposed and was recuperating in the US, many others believed the monarch was facing trial for fraud.
A chief in Ipetumodu, who spoke on condition of anonymity said many of his colleagues, including the Oosa of Ipetumodu, who is next in line to Apetu, had stopped going to the palace.
He said, “It’s been close to a year now that we have not seen our king in the town.”
The chief noted that Oloyede was also missing critical community events.
“Last December, we were told he would come back to town before January ended, but it’s now February and we haven’t seen him. It was the IPU Chairman, Joba Akinjogbe, that spoke on behalf of the king during this year’s Christian annual prayer.
But on the day of the prayer, we saw someone that looked like our monarch on screen through a projector. But we didn’t see his face. He told the gathering that he was not in prison and promised to come back by January ending.
“In 2024, we were told he was sick but since then, we have not seen him in town and nobody knows where he is,” he added.
A reliable source close to the palace said three major festivals – Odun Egungun (masquerade festival), Odun Edi (Edi festival) and Ota Aaje (Obatala festival) were not graced by the Apetu.
A member of a royal family who said he could not speak on record for fear of being attacked said the absence of the monarch was impacting negatively on the community.
He claimed that the king’s wife had been running the community as a regent.
