The palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Thursday, disowned a claim by a man in a viral video, who said the monarch was his father.
A statement by the monarch’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, said the man in the viral video engaged in an act of impersonation, noting that the matter had been reported to the security agencies for further action.
Olafare said Oba Ogunwusi, being a responsible father and custodian of tradition, knew and acknowledged all his children and would stop at nothing to take full responsibility for them.
He declared that the self-acclaimed prince was unknown to the palace and the Ile-Ife populace.
He is not a child of Ooni Ogunwusi as fraudulently claimed and also never related in any way to any lineage of the Ogunwusi royal family and the Giesi royal compound of Ile-Ife at large,” the statement stated.
It reads in part: “Our attention has been drawn to an amateur video clip featuring a grown-up individual claiming to be a son of our father, Arole Oodua Olofin Adimula, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja ll, the Ooni of Ife, virally trending across various online platforms.
“We categorically condemn and denounce this shameless act of impersonation in the strongest possible terms.
“It is imperative to clarify that the Ooni of Ife, as a responsible father and custodian of tradition, knows and acknowledges all his children and stops at nothing to take full responsibility for them (both those who are in Nigeria and outside the country).”
The palace listed all the children of the traditional ruler and their respective locations.
“As 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 Masters 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 three 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 hearty while the newborn 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,” it stated.
The release added, “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.
“Impersonation of any member of the royal family is a sacrilege against the sanctity of the palace and the heritage it represents.
“While the palace leaves no stone unturned to go after this criminal using all possible means to scapegoat him, with a view to making him face the law for necessary deterrence, we hereby urge the law enforcement agencies, particularly the Nigerian Police Force and Department of State Security to thoroughly investigate this matter and bring the perpetrator to justice as swiftly as possible.”
It asked that any individual with useful information about the whereabouts of the impersonator to seek an audience with the palace or the police.
It also called on the said impersonator to refrain from engaging in or promoting such deceptive practices.
The release assured that the House of Oduduwa remained committed to preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba people and would not tolerate any attempt to undermine or tarnish its legacy through fraudulent means.