The Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, Oba Joseph Oloyede, has entered a fresh plea for leniency before a United States court after admitting guilt in a $4.2 million COVID-19 relief fraud case that has drawn shock in both Nigeria and the U.S.
In a sentencing memorandum filed on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, before Judge Christopher Boyko of the Northern District of Ohio and obtained exclusively by Peoples Gazette, the monarch, through his legal team, confessed to the offence but argued that the coronavirus pandemic was a significant factor that drove him into the crime.
“COVID-19 affected all of us differently. Conduct that we would never expect from ourselves or others sometimes manifested itself as we encountered a completely different society.
“COVID-19 is not an excuse. But it is a factor. Particularly when, as did Joseph, one had to worry that pre-existing health problems could now become fatal if the virus was contracted,” the document quoted his counsel as saying.
Mr. Joseph Oloyede, 62, the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, was arrested by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in May 2024, two months after fleeing Nigeria. His sudden disappearance had stirred anxiety in his hometown, where he missed major traditional festivals, including Odun Egungun and Odun Edi.
According to court filings, Oloyede was apprehended in Cleveland on allegations of using six companies to submit fraudulent applications under the U.S. Paycheck Protection Programme (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan schemes.
The monarch, who emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1990s, earned a doctorate and worked as an adjunct professor and banker before his installation as Apetu in July 2019. His lawyers argued that the fraud was a sharp break from an otherwise clean record of service and responsibility, stressing that he has expressed remorse and accepted full blame for his actions.
Prosecutors, however, alleged that Oloyede laundered part of the $4.2 million proceeds through personal and business accounts. U.S. authorities subsequently seized a Medina County property in Ohio, along with more than $96,000 from one of his company accounts.
He was later granted bail after surrendering both his Nigerian and U.S. passports, though he has remained under strict restrictions pending sentencing.
The 62-year-old monarch, a father of six and foster parent to several other children, is due for sentencing on August 26, 2025, after a postponed hearing to allow the court review of his sealed medical records.
Meanwhile, his prolonged absence has left Ipetumodu without an active traditional ruler, fuelling concerns over leadership succession and the vacuum created by his legal troubles abroad.
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