Investigations in the US have revealed how the Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, travelled from the palace to commit fraud in the country – America.
Oloyede, whose whereabouts had been a subject of controversy for some time, was installed in 2019 but he committed the crime between 2020 and 2022.
He and a Nigerian pastor, Edward Oluwasanmi, have pleaded guilty to charges of COVID-19 relief fraud amounting to $4.2 million in the United States.
According to court records, Oluwasanmi used companies including Dayspring Transportation Limited, Dayspring Holding Incorporated, and Dayspring Property Incorporated to illegally obtain and divert funds intended for businesses struggling during the pandemic. The two men were charged with 13 counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions involving criminally derived property.
Oba Oloyede, a U.S.-based accountant and information systems expert before his enthronement in 2019, frequently travelled between Nigeria and the U.S. for engagements. His extended absence from Ipetumodu had already raised concerns among indigenes, particularly after he demolished the community’s palace with a promise to rebuild it, only to be arrested in the U.S.
Investigations revealed that between April 2020 and February 2022, Oloyede and Oluwasanmi submitted falsified applications for the Paycheck Protection Programme and Economic Injury Disaster Loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, using fake tax and wage documents to secure the funds. The act was designed to support small businesses and nonprofits impacted by the economic fallout from the pandemic.
