THE public assault on Abraham Areola, 73, by the traditional ruler of Orile-Ifo, Ogun State, Abdulsemiu Ogunjobi, has exposed the oppression subjects endure at the hands of some high-handed rulers. This crass impunity must be checked to serve as a deterrent to others. A viral video clip showed Ogunjobi, with his aides, ordering Areola, a chief, to kneel at the roadside. Ogunjobi accused him of conspiracy and betrayal and rained threats and curses on him. Ogunjobi boasted, “You are a conspirator. You are one of those conspiring against me in this town. You will not prosper. Your children will not prosper. You will die. Go and report to the police station. I own the Nigerian Police. I will send you to prison.” One of Ogunjobi’s aides slapped Areola from behind and removed his cap. This conduct is unbecoming of a traditional ruler who is expected to be the face of society and the custodian of its highest ethos. It is sacrilegious, barbaric, and unacceptable. Traditional rulers are custodians and guardians of the laws, customs, values, traditions, and heritage of society. The throne is, therefore, for men of nobility who exude character and decency. When traditional rulers ooze odium, it is an indication that the medium of selection of traditional rulers has been compromised, thus paving the way for thugs and men of shady character to find their way into the hallowed palace. It is apposite that the instruments of the law moved swiftly to remedy the situation. The Ogun State Government has suspended Ogunjobi for six months, while the police have charged him in court for conspiracy, assault, and disturbance of the public peace. He was granted bail in the sum of N5 million. In a world that has broken borders, traditional institutions are subsumed under the law. Even in the pre-colonial era, traditional societies did not enjoy absolute power. Society has checks and balances to curb the excesses of the ruler. The decay of traditional institutions begins with the abuse of the process of the emergence of occupants of the office. Kingmakers who are supposed to be above board in choosing the kings have turned their offices into corruption conduits and have become abusers of procedures, haters of the people and lovers of themselves. Consequently, misfits and thugs have found themselves in palaces, society is in a mess, and the people have become victims rather than beneficiaries of societal values and ethos. As it is with traditional institutions, so it is with leadership at all levels, political, military, and religious – and the manifestations are widespread and legendary. In 2008, Harry Arogundade’s naval aides stripped a lady, Uzoma Okere, from the waist up for allegedly blocking their convoy in Lagos. Arogundade was fined N100 million by a court. The aides of an army general, G.S. Mohammed, and his aides brutally assaulted an intending couple, Vershima Mker and Lami Iorvihi, in Abuja last year for not quickly yielding the road to their siren-blaring convoy. A member of the House of Representatives, Alex Ikwechegh, slapped and verbally abused a driver who delivered food to his house in October last year. A lawmaker, Elisha Abbo, assaulted a lady at a toy shop in Abuja in 2019. The oversight functions of local councils on traditional rulers are failing. Besides sensitising the traditional rulers, the local councils should investigate and prosecute traditional rulers involved in criminality and land-grabbing and support criminal herders and bandits. The police should redeem themselves by arresting and prosecuting undesirable elements who employ their name to perpetrate injustice. The media, the CSOs and well-meaning Nigerians must continue to protect and champion free speech.