When dictators assume power, they do everything they can to oppress their subjects and retain their power. Royal Owl and Money Bags are examples of bad leaders who use various oppressive techniques to rule.

Bad leaders oppress their citizens by murdering or assassinating some of them. Owls are notorious for killing grain-eaters and day birds. They punish their enemies by tying them and throwing them into Python’s cave. Python is the hangman who runs the gallows. Osogo’s kin are murdered in what comes to be known as the ‘weaver massacre’. Thirty three weaver birds were killed. Straight Eyed reveals that there is a plan to kill birds that stand for good governance. The mercenaries include Python and Olik Tiga. When Oyundi takes over Parliament of Owls and style it Flock of Birds, Osogo dedicates that day to his relatives who were killed in cold blood by Money Bags and his goons under the instructions of Royal Owl. A moment of silence is observed to honour the departed souls. Bad leaders like Royal Owl and Money Bags kill innocent birds. They use Arum Tidi to spread propaganda but when they have no use for him, they get One Eyed to eliminate him. He is killed because he had a damning dossier that implicated Money Bags and Royal Trees. He is given a proper burial and honoured by the ruling owls to hoodwink the other birds. Indeed bad leaders use oppressive means like assassination to govern. (P3-4, 9, 13, 34, 52, 59, 114, 123, 127-128)

Bad leaders also use unjust laws to oppress citizens. The owls are the ruling elite. They make laws only to break them. They pass bad laws to favour them. Red String says that the owls are above the law. Some of the laws are oppressive; for example, they plan to ban hammering at trees and to introduce a fee to be paid by any bird that does so. This is to frustrate birds like Osogo.  Arum Tidi advises Red String to sneak this oppressive clause into their laws. Money Bags sponsors an oppressive bill christened Moonlight Bill. If it becomes a law, a curfew will be imposed forcing all birds to sleep by sunset. They also plan to ban flying from tree to tree and moonlight twittering. The law strangely allows Money Bags to assume the role of speaker in order to pass critical bills like the Moonlight Bill. Only the ruling elite like Royal Owl, Money Bags and their stooges stand to benefit from the Moonlight bill and Moonlight tax which goes to Royal Trees.  The law helps to aid theft, robbery and looting by Money Bags. It also undermines the rights of birds that twitter in the moonlight and omnivores that hunt in the night. The committee of vultures which is in bed with Royal Owl is the team that listens to petitions by birds that try to oppose such bills. The laws are unjust towards day birds like Osogo and Oyundi since birds that flout the law are to be arrested. Activists like Oyundi fight against bad laws like Moonlight law, Fried Frogs for Owls law and the law of Bird Protection. She proposes that they change their laws. (P1, 3, 6, 16-17, 21-22, 30, 32, 34, 36, 40, 42, 44, 52, 66, 69, 72, 74-75, 92)

Bad leaders like Money Bags and Royal Owl arrest those who disagree with them. Tel Tel is arrested and charged for treason for refusing to work with owls. Arum Tidi suggests that they arrest Tel Tel and unlawfully charge her for sound pollution. Money Bags orders for the arrest of Oyundi. She is wanted dead or alive. She’s accused of embarrassing the king on a number of occasions. Any bird that flouts any section of the new law was to be arrested. Oyundi is arrested but manages to secure amnesty after signing a pact with Royal Owl. Police Owl arrests Tel Tel. Money Bags and Royal Owl use police owl to arrest anyone who disagrees with them. Journalists like Veteran P have been arrested several times. Tel Tel escapes from her detention and Royal Owl declares that she is wanted dead or alive. Leaders like moneybags and Royal Owl use arrests as a tool to intimidate and frustrate their opponents. (P9, 13, 14, 17, 47, 74-75, 79, 84, 98, 103, 106, 112, 117, 124)

Introduction of punitive taxes and levies is another way that bad leaders oppress their citizens. The owls introduce daily Moonlight tax to be used to pay Owls that supervise and take roll calls. Red String proposes that the tax can be called a tithe to make the birds think that they are contributing to the gods. Tel Tel feels it is a way of extorting money from the birds. The owls lie that the tax will be partly used to feed sick and old birds as part of the welfare. They even plan to collect a levy from birds going about normal activities like hammering at trees. This is meant to frustrate day birds like Tel Tel who refuses to work with the owls. The taxes go to Royal Trees and only benefit the likes of Royal Owl, Money Bags and their cronies. The other birds do not benefit at all. Rebel owls oppose the idea of introducing illegal taxes at a time when the birds are faced with imminent hunger. (P8-10, 16, 30, 33)

Bad leaders spread misleading information to promote their political cause. Owls offer to pay Tel Tel to spread propaganda. They plan to introduce oppressive laws that ban moonlight twittering and flying from tree to tree. They are immune to the laws and above the law. They also plan to introduce illegal taxes to take care of their allowances. Red String wants Tel Tel to use her gift of the gab to spread propaganda painting the oppressive laws in good light. The tax is supposed to be called a tithe and is supposedly meant to help protect the kingdom. It will also be used supposedly for the welfare of sick and old birds. Tel Tel is adamant to take up this responsibility because owls once made her spread propaganda about Osogo only to go ahead and massacre his family. She thus lost her integrity. Arum Tidi is also used to spread propaganda for Royal Trees. He is supposed to go around praising Parliament of Owls for the safety of all birds, Royal Owl and the Moonlight Bill. Feathered Beak calls out Money Bags and his puppets for hiring Arum Tidi to spread cheap lies and propaganda hence confusing night birds and omnivores and painting the good owls in bad light. (P6-8, 10-11, 27, 21, 34)

Bad leaders also use threats and intimidation to gag their rivals. Red String warns Tel Tel of dire consequences if she fails to help them spread propaganda. He tells her that she is living on borrowed time. He is giving her a chance to live longer than she should. Money Bags asks Red String to order Tel Tel to carry out his directive or else she would not live to tell the tale. Royal Owl threatens to kill Osogo for playing his flute. Royal Owl and Money Bags also use Police Owl to intimidate their enemies including Tel Tel,  Iron Lady, Feathered Beak, Oyundi among others. (P8, 10-11, 46, 58)

In conclusion, oppressive regimes use dictatorial means to govern, intimidate and gag anyone who seems to oppose the leadership.