The attorney general of Ondo state, Olukayode Ajulo, has warned traditional rulers against turning their palaces into courts or detention centres.
Mr Ajulo gave the warning on Wednesday in Akure at a three-day workshop organised for traditional rulers by the state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
He charged traditional rulers to exercise authority within the confines of the constitution and the law.
According to Mr Ajulo, the rulers operate within a constitutional democracy and must understand the distinction between customary authority and powers reserved by law for the courts, police and other statutory institutions.
He said the constitution does not establish the office of traditional rulers as a “fourth arm of government” but recognises the role traditional institutions can play in local governance and community development.
According to him, traditional rulers should see themselves primarily as custodians of history and culture, symbols of communal identity, peace-builders, mediators and community mobilisers.
Mr Ajulo added that traditional institutions were not alternative courts or government institutions. He warned the rulers against turning their palaces into detention centres or criminal courts, stressing that legally authorised law-enforcement institutions must handle alleged criminal conduct.
“An oba should not order the indefinite detention of a person because that person is accused of stealing, insulting the palace, owing money, violating a community rule or participating in a dispute,” he said.
He urged rulers to identify criminal conduct, preserve peace, provide information, and cooperate with the appropriate authorities rather than investigate, detain, or punish suspects themselves.
Mr Ajulo restated the importance of fair hearing in traditional administration, saying a traditional ruler does not lose dignity by listening to both sides of a dispute and encouraged traditional institutions to embrace mediation and customary arbitration where appropriate, adding that such processes must be voluntary and clearly distinguished from judicial adjudication.
Mr Ajulo also cautioned the rulers against using customary authority as a licence for self-help, particularly in cases involving alleged land grabbing, intimidation, forceful entry or illegal occupation.
He advised traditional institutions to preserve peace and refer such matters to the appropriate statutory authorities, including the Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force, where applicable.
Mr Ajulo urged traditional rulers to strengthen their role in the state’s security architecture by providing credible community intelligence to government and security agencies.
(NAN)