The palace of the Oluwo of Iwoland has formally rebutted a viral claim that the monarch renounced his Nigerian citizenship and preferred Saudi Arabia over Yoruba heritage. Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, Oluwo of Iwoland, publicly rejected the story circulating online that he had changed his citizenship to Saudi Arabia and expressed contempt for Yoruba culture.
Palace Issues Formal Denial
Alli Ibraheem, the chief press secretary to the Oluwo, on Thursday, July 9, 2026, described the report as entirely fabricated. He traced its origins to bloggers motivated by the desire to generate traffic on monetised pages rather than report facts. 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.
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.
