City of Justice: Playing Fair in Akure by Pelu Awofeso

In Akure people still prefer to settle their differences the old-established way - at the palace courts. And so it is not unusual to see senior members of the city sitting to hear out and resolve all shades of complaints brought to them by the locals every day. The proceedings are sometimes so modest that anyone passing by the Deji of Akure’s palace is not likely to even notice.

“There could be forty or fifty chiefs sitting at any point in time,” says Chief Michael Fabusoye, deputy head of the Egbele group of chiefs. And according to Chief Oluwadare Oloko, head of all palace chiefs, the setting is similar to what obtains in a customary court. The king gets to appear in person in a few critical cases but much of his role in that respect taken up by the chiefs.

On occasions, though, the chiefs would refer more knotty cases to the king. “There is never a case we hear in this palace without kabiyesi’s knowledge, and whenever we have to give judgment we usually preface it with, ‘Kabiyesi says that….’. Typical cases include domestic quarrels; landlord-tenant issues; farming squabbles; and inheritance issues.  “But theft does not concern us. We do not hear murder cases—that is for the government,” Fabusoye says. “However, when someone threatens another person with charms or traditional medicine, we also judge that.”

The elders-jury, so to speak, fall into four categories: the Osunkunte group; the Egbele group; Omode Owa group; and the Egbe Idi group. Each group is co-coordinated by a leader and a deputy but all the members come under the leadership of the head of the palace chiefs. “The four groups have the Deji’s seal of approval and that of the people to give judgment at the palace. The fact is that kabiyesi himself handpicked each of the four heads to sit in judgment, because he alone cannot attend to all the cases brought to the palace,” Fabusoye, 54, explains.

The infidelity-related matters may well be the most interesting to preside over. This is because more often than not, the accused will deny the charges. “When that happens, he or she will be asked to go into the Ua Ibura (one of the 20-odd courts in the old palace reserved for oath taking) to swear their innocence.” The individual who goes that far definitely has nothing to hide. The truly guilty will not dare go there. “When the person realizes that death might be imminent, he quickly confesses at the public sitting.”

Once in a while, the Opa Ase plays a role in the resolution of the conflicts. Sometimes fighters flee the scene of a confrontation that has been reported to the palace chiefs. When that happens, a palace messenger is sent out, armed with the staff, to fetch the offenders. The chiefs will then attend to the case afterwards - - never before. Fighting anywhere in and around the Oja Oba is taken perhaps more seriously than most. “We don’t joke with fights in the king’s market,” says Fabusoye. “Even if the people fighting have gone to report themselves to the police, the police will hands off the case once they see the king’s staff.”

I was going to conclude that this traditional approach to justice would be embraced by the indigenes only when I saw an Ibo resident walk through the gates, wearing a long face. The day’s sitting had since wound up and many of the chiefs had left for home. He had beat up a young Yoruba lady, who a few minutes earlier, came to report the incident to the palace, accompanied by her mother. She had blood on her face, neck and arms. The case was going to be decided by the few elders on seat, something I sadly couldn’t witness.

The chiefs attend to their business in a section of the new palace area. But abutting that is the centuries’ old former palace, a sturdy bungalow propped up by dozens of equally solid pillars, all painted cream. From the forecourt what visitors sees instantly is the low-lying rusty brown roofs, which one passed under by bending forward. The forecourt leads into the 21 other courts in the palace, each unique in shape, size and function.   

“In those days, all celebrations took place in the biggest courtyard in the palace,” began Mrs Omopemi, an Education Officer for the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), as she took me through a brief tour of some of the courtyards. “The courtyard is called Ua Lila. Everybody sat around and the king too also took his position.”

We later touched the Ua Ogoga (served as refuge for a one time king of Ikere-Ekiti several years back), Ua Oriole (it’s where the indigenous Babalawo meet with the King), Ua Agbeto (a urine point), Ua Ameshe (where anyone found guilty is punished) and Ua Ojukoto (hosts periodic gatherings of locals, who present gifts to the king and who in return gives them Kolanut).

“Some of the courts are off limits for women, so even if I wanted to take you on a complete tour I can’t,” Omepemi told me afterwards. Then we stepped into Ua Ibura: added to what I had been told earlier, Mrs Omopemi explained that even mere arguments are settled here. “Even the king swears here.”