Ondo AG Warns Traditional Rulers: Palaces Must Not Be Courts or Detention Centres
AKURE, NIGERIA — The Ondo State Government has issued a stern warning to traditional rulers against overstepping their legal boundaries, declaring that royal palaces must never be converted into illegal courts or detention centres.
The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, OON, handed down this charge during a three-day workshop organised by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, themed “Repositioning the Traditional Institution for Harmonious Communal Relationship, Security, Cultural Preservation and Sustainable Development.”
Palaces Are Not Alternative Courts
Addressing the monarchs, Ajulo reminded them that modern traditional rulers operate strictly within a constitutional democracy.
He emphasized that Nigeria’s Constitution does not recognize the stool of an Oba as a fourth arm of government. “Traditional rulers should see themselves primarily as custodians of history and culture, symbols of communal identity, peace-builders, mediators, and community mobilisers rather than as alternative courts or government institutions,” Ajulo stated.
The Justice Commissioner explicitly warned royal fathers against ordering the arrest or indefinite detention of individuals over civil disputes, debts, or alleged criminal acts like theft and palace insults. He stressed that all criminal matters must be handed over to statutory law enforcement agencies rather than being prosecuted within palace walls.
Warning Against Self-Help and Land Grabbing
The Attorney General also addressed growing concerns over land disputes, cautioning monarchs against using their customary influence to engage in self-help. He warned against acts of intimidation, forceful entry, and illegal land occupation, advising palaces to route such grievances through the state’s Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force or appropriate courts.
While acknowledging that some traditional rulers hold appointments as Justices of the Peace (JP), Ajulo clarified that the title does not confer unlimited judicial authority. Instead, an Oba-JP must function strictly as a community mediator, peace-builder, and a link to the formal justice system.
Intelligence Gathering, Not Vigilantism
While drawing boundaries on judicial powers, the state government urged monarchs to scale up their involvement in security through intelligence gathering.
Ajulo noted that palaces are often the first to get wind of impending communal clashes, kidnapping threats, illegal mining, cultism, and farmer-herder tensions. He urged traditional rulers to swiftly pass this information to legal security formations—including the Nigeria Police, DSS, and the Amotekun Corps—rather than attempting to tackle criminal networks independently.
Roadmap for Modern Monarchy
To ensure a friction-free relationship between the state and traditional stools, the Attorney General proposed several structural reforms for palaces. These include Palace Mediation Desks to handle voluntary customary arbitration, Land-Dispute Referral Protocols to cleanly exit criminal land matters, training on human rights and chieftaincy laws, and retaining legal advisers to guide palace decisions within constitutional limits.
Ajulo insists that the measures are not intended to diminish the prestige of the crown but to ensure that royal authority is exercised lawfully to attract sustainable development and investment to Ondo State.
