Oluwo Reacts to Viral Reports He Changed His Citizenship From Nigeria to Saudi Arabia
- The palace of the Oluwo of Iwoland strongly reacted to a claim that the monarch renounced his Nigerian citizenship and preferred Saudi Arabia over Yoruba heritage
- In a statement, Oluwo's chief press secretary (CPS), Alli Ibraheem, provided clarity on a viral photograph
- The paramount ruler of Iwoland in Osun state, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, holds dual citizenship as a Nigerian-Canadian citizen
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
Iwo, Osun state - Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, Oluwo of Iwoland, has publicly rejected a story circulating online that he renounced his Nigerian citizenship in favour of Saudi Arabia and expressed contempt for Yoruba culture.
Alli Ibraheem, the chief press secretary to the Oluwo, on Thursday, July 9, 2026, described the report as entirely fabricated and traced its origins to bloggers he said were motivated by the desire to generate traffic on monetised pages rather than report facts.
Source: Facebook
In a formal rebuttal issued by the palace, Ibraheem said a photograph accompanying the viral story was misrepresented. The image, he clarified, was taken during a courtesy visit to the monarch's palace by graduating students of Al-Medinah International School in Osogbo and had no connection whatsoever to the claims being made.
Oluwo challenges peddlers to produce evidence
Ibraheem questioned why the story had not appeared on any established or credible media platform, arguing that its absence from reputable outlets was itself evidence of its unreliability.
Furthermore, he stated that there was no video recording of the Oluwo making any such declaration, and he issued a direct challenge to anyone spreading the claim to produce one.
Ibraheem said in the statement:
"I challenge any of the peddlers to release the video of where Oluwo said so."
The press secretary urged members of the public to disregard the story entirely and attributed its spread to individuals he described as adversaries of the monarch, who he said had been unable to achieve their goals through other means.
Source: Instagram
Oluwo hailed as Yoruba culture champion
The palace used the rebuttal as an opportunity to restate the Oluwo's position as a promoter of traditional Yoruba culture. Ibraheem said the monarch actively wears Yoruba traditional attire, participates in cultural practices, and promotes the Yoruba language in a manner that distinguishes him among peers in the region.
"Oluwo remains the leading monarch dedicating his throne to the promotion of unadulterated Yoruba culture and traditions," Ibraheem said, adding that no claim linking the king to a rejection of his heritage had any basis in fact.
Oluwo's rebuttal is available to be read in full below via his official Facebook post:
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VDM bags title from Oluwo
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Oluwo conferred a traditional title on social media activist VeryDarkMan (VDM), dressing him in traditional Yoruba attire and bestowing on him the honorary title of Atayese of Yorubaland.
Addressing members of the activist's movement, popularly known as the Ratels, the monarch declared that they now had a king among them.
Source: Legit.ng
