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Scandal! Osun monarch, pastor admit to COVID-19 fraud in US
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The Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, Oba Joseph Oloyede, and a Nigerian pastor, Edward Oluwasanmi, are facing possible prison sentences in the United States after pleading guilty to charges of COVID-19 relief fraud.
Oba Oloyede, a US-based accountant and information system expert, was appointed the new Apetu in July 2019.
The monarch and Oluwasanmi were arrested in early 2024 for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently obtain $4.2m in COVID-19 relief funds.
The two men were charged with 13 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.
They were arraigned before Justice Christopher Boyko of the US District Court of Ohio.
Saturday PUNCH had exclusively reported the arraignment of Oloyede while residents of Ipetumodu were at a loss over his disappearance from the community after a trip abroad.
Our correspondent had reported that there was anxiety in the community after the 62-year-old was absent from several important festivals that required his presence.
After investigating, Saturday PUNCH confirmed that the monarch was being held by the US authorities.
According to court documents obtained by our correspondent, Oloyede and Oluwasanmi submitted falsified applications for Paycheck Protection Programme and Economic Injury Disaster Loans under the US Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act between April 2020 and February 2022, using fake tax and wage documents to secure funds meant to support struggling businesses during the pandemic.
The Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by issuing loans to small businesses and non-profit entities experiencing revenue loss due to the pandemic.
The Act also authorised the US Small Business Administration to issue advances or grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses.
Oba Oloyede, who was based in Medina, Ohio, before his enthronement, was accused of using some of his companies, including Available Tax Services Incorporated, Available Financial Corporation, and Available Transportation Company, to defraud the government through the COVID-19 relief fund.
Oluwasanmi was also accused of using his companies: Dayspring Transportation Limited, Dayspring Holding Incorporated, and Dayspring Property Incorporated to obtain millions of dollars, which he later diverted for his expenses, in breach of US federal laws.
According to court documents, Oba Oloyede and Oluwasanmi, among other things, fraudulently obtained the sum of $3.76m from the US Paycheck Protection Programme and Economic Injury Disaster Loans scheme.
After about one year in court, the duo pleaded guilty to some of the charges and might face some prison sentences.
On April 10, Oluwasanmi, through his counsel, Henry Hilow, pleaded guilty to counts one, 11, and 12 of the indictment.
In the said counts, Oluwasanmi was accused of using some of the proceeds of the fraud to purchase a commercial property on 422 South Green Road, South Euclid, Ohio, through wire transfer, and transferring money into Dayspring transportation brokerage account.
“Guilty plea entered to counts 1, 11 and 12 of the indictment. Plea agreement executed. Sentencing set for July 2, 2025, at 10am in Courtroom 9A. Defendant’s bond to continue with same conditions as previously ordered,” the document read.
On Monday, April 21, Oba Oloyede submitted his guilty plea before the court.
The court fixed Thursday, April 24, for the hearing of his pleas.
Oba Oloyede’s long absence from his community has been generating reactions from community leaders and chiefs, especially after he reportedly demolished the town’s palace with a promise to build a befitting one upon return from his trip before his arrest.
With the report of his trial in the US, some residents are demanding that the state government investigate the matter and intervene.
Credit: PUNCH
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Suspected bandits have kidnapped retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, former Director of Defence Information, and his wife on Matazu Road in Katsina State.
Security sources told PRNigeria that the couple was ambushed on Saturday morning, May 30, 2026, while travelling in a red Peugeot 504 saloon car.
The gunmen intercepted the vehicle and whisked the retired officer and his wife to an unknown location.
The driver escaped with gunshot wounds and is receiving treatment at a nearby hospital, a security source said.
The former DDI and his wife were waylaid by armed men on the route. The driver escaped with gunshot injuries and is receiving medical attention,” the source stated.
Security forces have launched search-and-rescue operations and deployed intelligence assets to track the abductors, according to the source. Official confirmation from the military was still pending at press time.
—Rising concern in Katsina—
The abduction comes amid persistent insecurity in parts of Katsina despite ongoing military operations against bandit groups in the North-West.
In recent years, several serving and retired security personnel have been targeted on highways linking Katsina to neighbouring states. PRNigeria reports that criminal groups now see high-profile individuals, including retired military officers, as lucrative targets.
Maj-Gen Abubakar served as Director of Defence Information and was one of the Nigerian military’s most visible spokespersons during the counterinsurgency campaign against Boko Haram.
The incident is expected to renew calls for stronger security along major highways and rural communities in Katsina, where residents continue to face kidnapping and banditry.
Credit :PRNigeria
Abia State Police Command has nabbed two suspects for conspiracy, attempted child theft and possession of hard drugs.
The Command which made this known on Saturday, named the suspects as Nzubechi Chinagorom and Chinonso Chibundu, indigenes of Olokoro, Umuahia South LGA of the Abia State.
In a statement signed by DSP Maureen Chinaka, the Police Public Relations Officer, the Command said its officers apprehended the suspects through actionable intelligence, in collaboration with Olokoro vigilante personnel.
She stated that the suspects went to the residence of one Miss Amarachi Chinyereugo and attempted to forcibly take away her two-week-old baby girl.
DSP Chinaka said that the Nzubechi Chinagorom allegedly stabbed the nursing mother with a kitchen knife during a struggle, causing the baby to fall and hit her head on ground.
The police spokesperson said that the two suspects fled from the scene and ran into a nearby bush on realizing that the nursing mother, Miss Amarachi Chinyereugo cried out for help.
She added that the suspects were later apprehended at a bus stop
where they had reportedly gone to take hard drugs.
“The mother and child were immediately rushed to the hospital, where they received treatment and have since recovered.
“The suspects were apprehended, exhibits were recovered and investigation has been conducted at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID). Suspects will be charged to court on 2/06/2026,” Chinaka said.
Ex-Minister of Labour and Productivity, SellJoel Ikenya, has been declared winner of the governorship primaries conducted by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Taraba State.
Mr Felix Hyat, the chairman of the election committee, who announced the results in Jalingo on Saturday, said Ikenya scored 34,173, to defeat Mr Dinshiya Usman, who polled 4,853.
Hyat, who described the exercise as free, fair and transparent, commended the state working committee of the party for the peaceful conduct.
Ikenya, in his acceptance speech, pledged to revive Taraba to her days of glory if elected governor in 2027.
“I will transform Taraba; I will change the state from salary base, to an industrialised state.
“My desire is to also revive the state infrastructure and attract more investors to boost the economy,” he said.
The governorship candidate, however, denied the allegations of factional PDP in Taraba.
“There is no factional PDP in Taraba; I don’t know where the other people are coming from.
“PDP in Taraba is one, and we do not have any faction in the state. We are working as one united family to reclaim our mandate from Gov. Agbu Kefas of the All Progressives Congress (APC),” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that, the Nyesom Wike led faction of the party had recently declared senator Emmanuel Bwacha as its governorship candidate in Taraba.
NAN
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