A United States court has received a fresh plea for leniency from the Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, who admitted to involvement in a $4.2 million COVID-19 relief fraud that shocked 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, the monarch’s legal team acknowledged his guilt but urged the court to consider the impact of the pandemic as a mitigating factor.
“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,” his lawyers stated in the filing obtained by Peoples Gazette.
Oba Oloyede, 62, was arrested by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in May 2024 after disappearing from Nigeria two months earlier, causing concern in Ipetumodu where he missed key traditional festivals such as Odun Egungun and Odun Edi. Authorities accused him of using six companies to file fraudulent loan applications under the U.S. Paycheck Protection Programme and Economic Injury Disaster Loan schemes.
Court records showed that the monarch, who emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1990s and later earned a doctorate, had maintained an unblemished record for decades as an adjunct professor and banker before returning home to be installed as Apetu in July 2019. His lawyers described the fraud as a sharp break from his life of service and responsibility, emphasizing that he has shown remorse and taken full responsibility.
Following his arrest, U.S. prosecutors alleged that part of the illicit funds were laundered through personal and business accounts. The government seized a Medina County property in Ohio and more than $96,000 from one of his company’s accounts. He was later granted bail after surrendering both his U.S. and Nigerian passports but has remained under strict restrictions while awaiting judgment.
The monarch, a father of six and foster parent to other children, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 26, 2025, after the court postponed an earlier hearing to review his sealed medical records.
Meanwhile, his prolonged absence has left Ipetumodu without an active monarch, raising concerns about succession and the leadership vacuum created by his legal troubles.
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