The government of Osun State has revealed its intention to secure an official copy of a U.S. court ruling that convicted Oba Joseph Oloyede, the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, of corruption related to the COVID-19 relief funds.

The government stated that the ruling was necessary before making any decisions regarding his stool, adding that it would not act based on social media reports.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Dosu Babatunde, on Wednesday.

“While it may be true that the monarch has been convicted and jailed, there is no official record with us.

“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.

"We cannot rely on Facebook posts and stories to justify such a serious matter, ” Babatunde stated.

The 62-year-old monarch, who is also a U.S. citizen, faced a 56-month prison sentence from U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko on Tuesday. In addition to his prison term, he was ordered to undergo three years of supervised release and pay restitution totalling $4,408,543.38.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, he forfeited his Medina, Ohio residence—purchased with illicit funds—and $96,006.89 associated with the scam.

He was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy to abuse COVID-19 emergency loan programs, which were designed to aid small businesses in distress.

ASA