Osun prince raises alarm over threats amid dethronement of convicted king

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

One of the heirs to the throne of Apetu of Ipetumodu in Ife North Local Government of Osun State, Prince Olaboye Ayoola, has raised alarm over death threats following his call for the dethronement of Oba Joseph Oloyede, who was recently jailed in the United States over a $4.2 million fraud.

Ayoola alleged that he received a letter warning him to stop addressing the press since the monarch’s conviction and further claimed that miscreants had also called to threaten him directly.

He accused the kingmakers, led by Chief Sunday Afolabi Adedeji, of plotting with security operatives to arrest princes openly demanding the monarch’s removal.

“I received a threat letter two days ago warning me to stop addressing the media, but I discountenanced it. Today, I heard the kingmakers are planning to use police and other security operatives to arrest some of us, including myself. That is not fair at all,” Ayoola said.

“My life is in danger. Please help me appeal to the Commissioner of Police of Osun State and the Director of State Security. Miscreants in Ipetumodu have also called me, warning me to stop speaking on social media.”

In response, Chief Adedeji denied the allegations, dismissing them as baseless. “The man in question is just making rubbish. Nobody is planning anything against any prince,” he said.

Tension heightened on Tuesday when princes pressed the kingmakers to formally notify the Osun State Government about dethroning the monarch.

The meeting, held in the palace and presided over by Adedeji, started calmly but turned rowdy when a prince demanded that he, as the most senior surviving kingmaker, write to Governor Ademola Adeleke declaring the throne vacant. Adedeji rejected the request and recused himself from the process, sparking a shouting match that forced the meeting to end abruptly without resolution.