The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has reacted to the claim of a man in a viral video that he is the son of the revered monarch.
The reaction of the Ooni of Ife was contained in a statement by his spokesperson, Moses Olafare, on Thursday.
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 said: “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 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.
“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.”
Olafare said anyone with useful information about the whereabouts of the man should reach out to the palace or the police.
The man in the video had said: “Oba Enitan Ogunwusi is my father.
“He hid me with my mother with a clear instruction that I must not reveal myself.”
He said that though he is not living in penury, Oba Ogunwusi is living in affluence with his other siblings.
He added: “Anytime I desire to come to the palace, he (Ooni) would stop me saying it was not yet time.
“Now is the time.
“My mum might not talk, but I will say the truth.
“The king is my biological father.
“Though I’m not suffering, there is a house, cars are there, there is money, but I’m no longer interested in them.
“I want to be known as the son of the king, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.”
Young man claims to be son of Ooni of Ife
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