The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has reacted to the report of alleged involvement in a romance scam with a US-based female doctor, identified as Mrs Fagbule.
DAILY GIST recalls that an anonymous journalist via X had alleged that the Ooni scammed the US doctor of $180,000 after the latter expressed interest in building hospitals in some Southwest states in Nigeria.
It was also alleged that Ooni severed ties with the US doctor after he failed to make the investment as earlier agreed by the duo.
But a statement on Wednesday by the Director of Media And Public Affairs of the Ooni’s Palace, Otunba Moses Olafare, described the report as fake and untrue.
Olafare also dismissed claims that Ooni has a personal social media account used for communication and urged Mrs Fagbule to seek the intervention of the Police or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) rather than resorting to social media.
The statement read, “The Palace of the Ooni of Ife is not unaware of a trending fake news about one Ms Fagbule purportedly swindled of 180,000 dollars allegedly by our father; Arole Oduduwa Olofin Adimula, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, CFR, Ojaja II, The Ooni of Ife.
It is worrisome the level at which ladies have been making themselves victims of marriage frauds on internet despite our several warnings to the general public particularly ladies whose ultimate ambition were to become queens of the Ooni by all means to beware of the internet marriage proposal scammers who could only capitalize on their gullibility driven desperation.
“Even though it is not in our tradition to respond to fake news like this posted and promoted by a criminal faceless source through a Twitter (Now X) account, it has become so imperative this time around to make this response for necessary clarifications in order to calm the inundation of the genuine concerns expressed by subjects, friends and lovers of the Ooni globally on this matter.
“The following assertions are hereby made for necessary clarifications: That the news as posted by a Twitter (now X) handle called “99% OPPRESSED” is fake, untrue and absolutely an unfounded allegation only adopted as a nugatory character assassination tactic aimed at achieving a cheap popularity with a view to drawing huge followers/traffic for avaricious monetization from Twitter (X).
“That the so called Mrs Fagbule was and is never known to the Ooni of Ife for any interpersonal communication or relationship whatsoever, talk less of being so promised with a marriage proposal.
That Ooni Adeyeye does not operate any Facebook account personally. He runs the palace as an institutional organisation with a functional media directorate which has a section that operates his social media handles; Instagram, Facebook etc.”
“That If truly the lady so mentioned as Ms Fagbule is from Osun State or Ile-Ife in particular, why didn’t she come to the palace to meet Ooni in person throughout their co called relationship? That, rather than taking her matter to the appropriate agencies like EFCC and the Police for professional investigation which could have adequately helped her, she chose to make it a social media brouhaha.
That, if, for whatever reason she had preferred social media and human rights platforms to the Police and EFCC who are so professionally trained, shouldn’t she have engaged a credible mainstream media organisation; Print and Electronic, or consulted credible Human Right crusaders like CDHR, Femi Falana Chambers and their likes in the country who undoubtedly pocess qualities of a tested capacity and passion for applying principles of justice and fairness in their efforts of thorough investigation in any matter of injustice against the oppressed. She rather chose an unscrupulous faceless Twitter (X) handler who is not identified beyond “99% OPPRESSED”.
“That the said letter of marriage proposal so paraded on the Twitter (X) handle of the so called “99% OPPRESSED” alleged to have emanated from the Ooni is a fabrication of lies from the pit of hell, as the Letterhead used for the letter does not reflect the originality of our official letterhead used at the palace for official correspondences. And that the body of the letter does not grammatically reflect Ooni’s personally signed letters in any way.”
