The palace of the Ooni of Ife has debunked a trending report, alleging that Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi swindled a woman identified as Oladoyin Fagbule out of $180,000.
A statement issued by Otunba Moses Olafare, Director of Media and Public Affairs at the Ooni’s palace, described the report as fake, untrue, and an unfounded allegation aimed at gaining cheap popularity and increasing traffic for monetization on X.
Olafare stated that it was imperative to respond to clarify the situation and address the genuine concerns expressed by the Ooni’s subjects, friends, and supporters globally.
“The so-called Fagbule was and is never known to the Ooni of Ife for any interpersonal communication or relationship whatsoever, let alone being promised marriage,” Olafare explained in the statement.
“The Ooni Adeyeye does not operate any Facebook account personally. He runs the palace as an institutional organization with a functional media directorate that operates his social media handles, including Instagram and Facebook.
“If the lady mentioned as Fagbule is truly from Osun State or Ile-Ife, why didn’t she come to the palace to meet the Ooni in person throughout their so-called relationship?
“Rather than taking her matter to appropriate agencies like the EFCC and the police for professional investigation, which could have adequately helped her, she chose to make it a social media brouhaha.
“If for whatever reason she preferred social media and human rights platforms to the police and EFCC, shouldn’t she have engaged a credible mainstream media organization, or consulted credible human rights crusaders like CDHR, Femi Falana Chambers, and their likes in the country, who undoubtedly possess the qualities and passion for applying principles of justice and fairness in their investigations? Instead, she chose an unscrupulous, faceless Twitter handler identified only as ‘99% OPPRESSED’.
“The letter of marriage proposal paraded on the Twitter handle ‘99% OPPRESSED’, alleged to have emanated from the Ooni, is a fabrication of lies. The letterhead used does not reflect the originality of our official letterhead, and the body of the letter does not grammatically reflect Ooni’s personally signed letters in any way.
“With the Ooni’s status in wealth, business success, philanthropy, and highly revered royalty, to suggest that he would collect money from any lady for travel expenses and other purposes in exchange for marriage is ludicrous. Such allegations can only be viewed by reasonable people as a figment of Fagbule and her social media Messiah’s (99% OPPRESSED) imagination.
“If the lady has a genuine case of marriage proposal fraud against anyone, whether or not it involves the Ooni, she is hereby invited to the palace in Ile-Ife to meet the Ooni for his fatherly assistance. The law enforcement agencies will help uncover the perpetrators of this inhuman crime and assist in cracking down on the fraudster who defrauded her, as we have successfully handled similar cases in the past.
“The Ile Oodua Palace of the Ooni of Ife advises all persons globally to be cautious of their engagements, particularly on social media. The Ooni does not interface with anyone via the internet/social media or appoint proxies to do so. Contrary to the fake letter being presented as evidence, the palace letterhead is unique and familiar to corporate bodies and personalities, with the Ooni’s signature as ‘Arole Oduduwa Olofin Adimula’ and not ‘His Imperial Majesty’.”
@PIDOMNIGERIA on X had accused the Ooni of Ife of scamming a US-based Nigerian lady out of $180,000 in an investment, property, and romance scam.
According to @PIDOMNIGERIA, they had extensive social media contact, including over 40 video calls, before the monarch allegedly defrauded her through investment and romance scams.
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