The palace of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Thursday disowned a claim by a man in a viral video, who had said the monarch is his father.

A release by Moses Olafare, the monarch’s spokesperson, said the man in the viral video had engaged in act of impersonation, noting that the matter had been reported to security agencies for further action.

Olafare said Oba Ogunwusi, being a responsible father and custodian of tradition, knows and acknowledges all his children and would stop at nothing to take full responsibility over them.

He declared that the self-acclaimed prince is unknown to the palace and the Ile-Ife populace, saying “He 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.”

The release further read in parts, “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).

“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 Master’s 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 healthy 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 by the customs and traditions of the Ife Palace.

“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,” he added.

According to the statement, the palace will leave no stone unturned to go after the man, using all possible means to scapegoat him to make him face the law for necessary deterrence.

The palace urged the law enforcement agencies, particularly the Nigerian Police Force and Department of State Security to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring the perpetrator to justice as swiftly as possible.

The statement added, “In assisting the law enforcement agencies on this project, any individual with useful information about 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. Enough is enough.”

Olafare also called on the said impersonator to refrain from engaging in or promoting such deceptive practices, assuring that the House of Oduduwa remains 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. (The PUNCH)

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