The House of Oduduwa has vowed to leave no stone unturned to go after a grown up individual claiming to be a son of the Arole Oodua, the Paramount ruler of Yorubaland, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, Osun State.
In a statement released by the Director, Media and Public Affairs of the Ooni’s Palace, Otunba Moses Olafare on Thursday over an amateur video trending across various online platforms where a grown up man claimed to be the son of the monarch.
The Oduduwa house categorically condemned and denounced this shameless act of impersonation in strongest possible terms, declared with no equivocation that this self acclaimed prince is unknown to the Palace and the Ile-Ife populace.
To make this impersonator a scapegoat with a view to face the law for deterrence, Ooni’s Palace urged the enforcement agencies, the Nigerian Police Force and that of Department of State Security (DSS), to investigate this matter thoroughly and bring the perpetrator to justice as swiftly as possible.
“In assisting the law enforcement agencies on this project, any individual with useful information pertaining to the whereabouts of this impersonating marauder is implored to cooperate fully with the security authorities or the Ooni’s Palace to ensure that justice prevails as such a patriotic whistleblower’s identity is well protected in utmost secrecy and handsomely rewarded by the Ooni’s palace”.
The House of Oduduwa noted that the Ooni of Ife, as a responsible father and custodian of tradition, knows and acknowledges all his children and would stop at nothing to take responsibilities over them (both those who are in Nigeria and outside the country).
According to Ooni’s palace, “All of Ooni’s children are well known to the palace and the people of Ile-Ife, the eldest child of the Ooni is Princess Adeola Ogunwusi, a Master Degree holder working and residing in Canada.
“Followed by Princess Adewamiwa Ogunwusi who recently relocated to further her education in Dublin, Ireland from where she had come 3 years ago for her secondary school education in her home country Nigeria.
“Princess Adesewa is doing very well, Prince Tadenikawo Ogunwusi is widely known to be with his mother hale and healthy while the new born twins Prince Adebisi Kehinde and Princess Taiwo Adeayo are being planned to formally make their historic entry into the palace in a couple of days in accordance with the customs and traditions of the Ife Palace”, the house said.
Ooni’s Palace stated that Not only this person is not a child of Ooni Ogunwusi as fraudulently claimed, but also never related in any way to any lineage of the Ogunwusi royal family and the Giesi Royal Compound of Ile-Ife at large.
“His marauding impersonation tactics to exploit the revered status of the Ooni of Ife for fraudulent personal gains is not only sacrilegious but also criminal in nature. Impersonation of any member of the royal family is a sacrilege against the sanctity of the palace and the heritage it represents”.
Furthermore, the Palace called on individuals, to refrain from engaging in or promoting such deceptive practices. “It is incumbent upon us all to uphold the dignity and honour of our cultural heritage, which includes respecting the integrity of the royal family”.
Adding that the House of Oduduwa remains committed to preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba people and will not tolerate any attempt to undermine or tarnish its legacy through fraudulent means.