When royalty meets the dock: A chronicle of past convictions of traditional rulers

For generations, Nigerian traditional rulers have embodied community values—custodians of culture, dispute-resolvers, and moral referees. That’s why the rare moments when a monarch is convicted for fraud land like thunderclaps: they shake public confidence and force hard questions about accountability, both at home and in diaspora communities.

On Tuesday, August 26, 2025, a U.S. District Court in Ohio sentenced Oba Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, to 56 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to wire- and tax-fraud charges tied to COVID-19 relief programs.

U.S. prosecutors said Oloyede and a co-defendant used multiple businesses and falsified payroll/tax records to secure Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds; the court also ordered over $4.4 million in restitution and post-release supervision.

This wasn’t a village dispute or chieftaincy squabble—it was a documented, high-value fraud conviction against a sitting monarch in a foreign court.

Are there many such convictions?

1. Apetu of Ipetumodu (Oba Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede) – Jailed in the United States for COVID-19 Relief Fraud

What happened: On August 26, 2025, U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko sentenced Oba Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, to 56 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, committing financial crimes, and filing false tax returns.

Scope of the fraud: From approximately April 2020 to February 2022, Oloyede and a co-conspirator submitted falsified applications for pandemic relief under the CARES Act—specifically through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)—resulting in disbursement of over US$4.2 million. Oloyede retained a portion of clients’ loans without reporting it to the IRS.

Property forfeiture: The court ordered him to forfeit his home in Medina, Ohio, acquired with fraud proceeds, and pay over US$4.4 million in restitution, plus serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.

2. Oba Pius Akinfesola Adewola (Odigbo, Ondo State) – Jailed for Fraud and Theft

Verdict and sentence: In December 2017, the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ore (Ondo State) convicted Oba Pius Akinfesola Adewola, the Akamuja of Igburowo land, on 36 counts—including fraud, theft, impersonation, and misappropriation of funds meant for domestic workers and chiefs. He received a two-year prison sentence, or, alternatively, fined N500,000 per charge.

Judicial commentary: The magistrate condemned the monarch’s conduct, lamenting that “our law is no respecter of any personality” and warning that leniency could embolden others to criminality.

3. Chief Tony Micah (Obio/Akpor, Rivers State) – Jailed for 419 and Forgery

Case details: In July 2011, Chief Tony Micah—a traditional ruler and CEO in Obio/Akpor Local Government, Rivers State—was sentenced by a Port Harcourt Magistrate Court to six months in prison for offenses including stealing, forgery, obtaining by false pretense (419), and conspiracy. He was fined N5,000 as an alternative to imprisonment.

READ ALSO: Osun Monarch jailed 56 months in U.S. for $4.2m COVID-19 relief fraud

4. Baale Francis Ogundeji (Ebute Ipare, Ilaje LGA, Ondo State) – Sentenced for Land Sale Against Court Order

Charges and convictions: In August 2024, the Baale was sentenced to three years imprisonment for contempt of court, falsehood, and forging land sale receipts. He sold community land in violation of both a High Court and Magistrate Court restraining orders, and backdated the receipt.

Details: The convictions, affirmed by an Igbokoda Magistrates’ Court, included violations under Sections 517, 133(9), and 467 of the Ondo State Criminal Code.

5. Baale of Shangisha (Magodo, Lagos State – Mutiu Ogundare) – Jailed for Faking His Own Kidnap

Sentence: In September 2022, an Ikeja High Court convicted Mutiu Ogundare and sentenced him to 15 years in prison (concurrent terms) for faking his kidnapping and causing public disorder. His accomplice (his brother, Opeyemi Mohammed) received the same sentence; his wife was acquitted. The charges included breach of peace and false kidnapping.

Judicial remarks: The judge noted the need for a deterrent, stating the defendants “showed no remorse” and even attempted to “buy his way out of the court.”

Fraud prosecutions typically flow under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act (2006), the Criminal Code, or EFCC Act, depending on the conduct. EFCC and ICPC case logs show sustained anti-fraud activity nationwide, even if very few defendants are royals.

The Apetu of Ipetumodu’s 56-month U.S. sentence is the clearest, recent instance of a Nigerian monarch convicted and jailed for fraud—remarkable precisely because such cases are rare on the public record. It spotlights the clash between cultural authority and modern financial accountability, and it should catalyze stronger governance in palaces as much as in public office.