A claim by a male individual who said he is a biological son of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has been strongly refuted by the monarch himself.
In a widely circulated video, the unidentified man had claimed that he and his mother have been kept hidden by the Ooni, and were instructed to keep the true identity a secret.
But, the Ooni has categorically denied any affinity, either biological or not, with the claimant and has distanced himself from what he called baseless allegation.
“Oba Enitan Ogunwunsi is my father. He hid me with my mother with a clear instruction that I must not reveal myself,” the man dressed in a white Agbada said in Yoruba.
In response to the viral video, the palace spokesperson, Moses Olafare, issued a statement on Thursday categorically denouncing the man’s claim as an act of impersonation.
Olafare further disclosed that the issue had been reported to the appropriate security agencies for necessary follow-up.
Emphasizing the monarch’s stance, Olafare affirmed that as a responsible father and custodian of tradition, the Ooni of Ife is well-aware of and recognizes all his children, and is fully committed to taking accountability for them without hesitation.
According to him, “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.
“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.
“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).”
However, in another video that surfaced online on Friday, the man was seen apologising to the traditional ruler.
The man said he had earlier seen the Ooni in a dream in 2022 engaging him in a discussion after which he gave him a wrist bead.
He claimed he had another dream involving the Ooni a month ago.
He said, “I have a reason for creating that video. In 2022, I found myself beside the Ooni in my dream, engaging in discussions. Initially, I was unaware that it was a dream because Kabiyesi gave me the bead on my wrist. However, when Kabiyesi raised my hand, that was when I woke.
“Upon waking, I was perplexed about how I had encountered the Ooni of Ife but later concluded that he is the father of Oduduwa land. Dreaming about him is not unusual or inappropriate. I have never dreamt about an Oba before; typically, I dream about governors, not an Oba.
“Three days after this dream, I travelled to Ile-Ife in an attempt to meet the Ooni. Despite all my efforts, I could not see Kabiyesi, and I departed in the evening after spending the entire day at the Ooni’s palace.
“I created the video after returning home from Ooni’s palace because I sensed there was a significance behind the dream I had about him. Additionally, I produced music with the hope that when Ooni sees it online, he may extend an invitation to me.”