A video has appeared online featuring a man in his middle age who said he is the son of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi.
In the video, the unidentified man claimed that the monarch kept him and his mother hidden with instructions to remain secretive.
The man, dressed in a white Agbada, spoke in Yoruba, saying, “Oba Enitan Ogunwunsi is my father. He hid me with my mother with a clear instruction that I must not reveal myself.”
However, the palace of the monarch has refuted his claims, calling him an impersonator.
The man also mentioned that the monarch’s silence on his identity as a prince led him to make the video.
“Whenever I wanted 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 tell 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,” he added.
However, he has given a two-month ultimatum to be invited to the palace, or he will reveal more secrets.
In response to the video, Moses Olafare, spokesperson to the Ooni, stated that the matter had been reported to security agencies for further action.
Olafare stated that Oba Ogunwusi, as a responsible father and custodian of tradition, knows and acknowledges all his children and is committed to taking full responsibility for them.
He announced that the self-proclaimed prince is unknown to the palace and the Ile-Ife populace, stating, “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.”
Olafare also urged the impersonator to stop engaging in or promoting such deceptive practices, emphasizing that the House of Oduduwa is dedicated to preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba people and will not tolerate any attempt to undermine or tarnish its legacy through fraudulent means.
