Traditional rulership ideally entails sacred trust in a ruler to embody and promote moderation, justice, sobriety and peace in the community over which he holds sway. That seems not to have been the case, however, with the Olorile of Orile-Ifo, Oba Abdul-Semiu Adewale Ogunjobi, who was early this week slammed a six-month suspension by the Ogun State government for allegedly desecrating the royal institution by engaging in uncivil conduct not befitting the status of an Oba.

The monarch was shown in a viral video that lately surfaced online verbally and physically assaulting 73-year-old Abraham Areola, a leader in the Ogun State community who Ogunjobi reportedly accused of treachery. In the footage, some men – apparently palace attendants – were along with the monarch slapping the septuagenarian and forcing him to kneel and prostrate during the encounter said to have transpired on January 21, 2025. Ogunjobi, who is said to be a former police officer, could be heard in the video using foul language on the elderly victim and threatening to kill him and dispose of his body without suffering any consequence. The video sparked public outrage as rights activists and others protested the brutality against, and denigration of the humanity of the septuagenarian Areola.

Ogun State government announced on Monday that it was placing the monarch on six-month suspension. The decision, according to a statement by Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Communication and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, was reached after Ogunjobi and his victim were invited by the local government and chieftaincy affairs commissioner, Ganiyu Hamzat, for interrogation.

The statement said: “This became imperative as a result of the reckless utterances and public misconduct of the Kabiyesi as it was evident in the social media and being bandied in the larger public space. After the investigation conducted on the matter, the Kabiyesi has been suspended and stripped of the paraphernalia of the stool of Olorile-Ifo pending the determination of his culpability or otherwise on the allegation.” It added: “The foregoing decision was reached by the ministry in conjunction with the Egba Traditional Council in accordance with Section 52(1) of the Obas and Chiefs’ Law of Ogun State 2021.”

Besides the suspension, Ogunjobi was dragged to court for prosecution and was on Tuesday remanded at the Ilaro Correctional Centre after failing to perfect conditions of a bail granted him by a magistrate’s court sitting in Ifo. Ogun State command spokesman of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Yinka Odukoya, was reported confirming the monarch’s incarceration. “He is in our custody and this definitely means he was unable to perfect the bail conditions as granted by the court yesterday. But as soon as he is able to do that, he will be allowed to go,” Odukoya said.

The Ogun State police command had earlier on Tuesday arraigned the suspended monarch over the assault of Areola. Police Prosecutor, Inspector O. Awoleke, in a charge sheet cited as ‘MH2b8c/2025: Commissioner of Police vs. Abdul-Semiu,’ said the accused person was being arraigned on a three-count charge of conspiracy, assault and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.

The accused monarch, who appeared before Magistrate F.A. Iroko, pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and the matter was adjourned till March 6 for hearing. The magistrate granted him a bail of N5million, with two sureties in like sum who must be resident within the court’s jurisdiction.

0gunjobi will have his day in court, and we hesitate to pronounce a preemptive verdict on him despite compelling evidence of misbehaviour in the viral video. Should he be proven guilty, we recommend that he be dismissed from the monarchy as he would have been confirmed unfit for the revered institution. Besides, the Yoruba are a people who culturally respect the elderly. But that was a custom that Ogunjobi appeared to have disdained by allegedly leading the assault and public humiliation of someone old enough to be his father. So, he wasn’t even a good custodian of cultural mores, unlike what the royal institution historically stood for.

In the charge sheet, the monarch’s accomplices were described as persons at large. That, in our view, isn’t good enough. Those accomplices must themselves be tracked down and made to face justice, and the accused monarch who is already in the hold of security agents should be helpful in leading the trail to wherever they have fled. The long arm of justice should spare no suspected offender. (The Nation Editorial)