The Palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has denied allegations of a marriage scam involving the monarch.

The story, which claimed a woman named Ms. Fagbule was swindled of $180,000 by individuals impersonating the Ooni, has been labeled as fake news.

In a statement sent on Thursday, the Director of Media and Public Affairs at the Ooni’s Palace, Moses Olafare, addressed the claims.

“The Palace of the Ooni of Ife is not unaware of a trending fake news about one Ms. Fagbule purportedly swindled of $180,000 allegedly by our father, Arole Oduduwa Olofin Adimula, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi,” Olafare said.

He continued, “It is worrisome the level at which ladies have been making themselves victims of marriage frauds on the internet despite our several warnings to the general public, particularly ladies whose ultimate ambition is to become queens of the Ooni, to beware of internet marriage proposal scammers who capitalize on their gullibility and desperation.”

Olafare emphasized that the palace usually does not respond to fake news, but felt compelled to do so in this instance to address the concerns of their global audience.

“The news as posted by a Twitter (now X) handle called ‘99% OPPRESSED’ is fake, untrue, and an unfounded allegation adopted as a character assassination tactic aimed at achieving cheap popularity,” he stated.

The palace clarified that Ms. Fagbule was never known to the Ooni and that he had no interpersonal communication or relationship with her, let alone a marriage proposal.

“The Ooni does not operate any personal Facebook account and the purported letter of marriage proposal shared online was a fabrication,” Olafare explained.

Olafare also criticized Ms. Fagbule for taking the matter to social media instead of reporting it to appropriate agencies like the EFCC and the Police for professional investigation. He invited her to the palace in Ile-Ife for assistance.

“If she truly has a genuine case of marriage proposal fraud, she is hereby invited to the palace in Ile-Ife to physically meet the Ooni for his fatherly assistance and the help of law enforcement agencies to uncover the perpetrators,” he added.

The statement concluded with a warning to the public to be cautious in their engagements, especially on social media, and reaffirmed that the Ooni does not interact with anyone via the internet or social media, nor does he appoint proxies to do so.

“Contrary to the fake letter being dangled as evidence in the media, the Palace’s letterhead is unique and familiar to corporate bodies, personalities, and other recipients, with the Ooni’s signature as the ‘Arole Oduduwa Olofin Adimula’ and not ‘His Imperial Majesty’,” Olafare noted.

An anonymous journalist had alleged on X that the Ooni scammed the US doctor of $180,000 after she expressed interest in building hospitals in some Southwest states in Nigeria. It was also claimed that the Ooni severed ties with the doctor after failing to make the investment.

In a related incident in May 2024, a middle-aged man claimed in a viral video that he is the son of the Ooni of Ife, only to later apologize to the traditional ruler.