How does the district commissioner coax the Igbo leaders?

The district commissioner coaxes the Igbo leaders by acting in a friendly manner and assuring them that he is interested in their side of the story.
He tells the six leaders of Umuofia that he is interested in resolving any conflict between them peacefully. Because of his steady, reasonable manner, the leaders of Umuofia are tricked into trusting him. The leaders put up no quarrel when the commissioner tells them that he wants his friends to participate in the discussion.
The commissioner's friends turn out to be twelve men who quickly overpower the six leaders of Umuofia. The leaders are handcuffed and led to the guardroom. There, the commissioner continues speaking to them in a calm, reasonable manner. However, it is clear by now that his outward demeanor masks a steady resolve to punish Umuofia for the burning of the church.
Once the leaders of Umuofia are in his power, the commissioner resorts to more coaxing. He assures them that he means no harm but insists that they must cooperate with him. The commissioner also maintains that his administration is peaceful in intent and one committed to bringing happiness to the people of Umuofia. He then goes on to say that he cannot allow anyone to mistreat others while he is in power. He points to the burning of the church as an affront to his administration. Then, the commissioner demands that the leaders pay a fine of two hundred bags of cowries to atone for their actions.
Before the commissioner leaves, he tells the court messengers to treat the men of Umuofia with respect. However, in his absence, the court messengers abuse the six leaders. They shave the heads of the men and deny them food and drink.
It is quite clear by now that there is a discrepancy between the words of the commissioner and his actions. Essentially, the commissioner uses a friendly manner and reasonable speech to coax the leaders of Umuofia and to lure them into a trap of his making.

In chapter 23, Achebe describes how the district commissioner coaxes the Igbo leaders into traveling to his headquarters, where he arrests the leaders of Umuofia. Achebe writes that the district commissioner sends out several "sweet-tongued" messengers who ask if several of Umuofia's leaders would attend a meeting at the district commissioner's headquarters. Okonkwo is one of the six Igbo leaders who follow the messengers and prepare to have a sensible meeting with the district commissioner concerning their reaction to Enoch unmasking an egwugwu. However, the Igbo leaders are unaware that the district commissioner plans on arresting and punishing them for burning down the Christian church. After the six leaders lay down their machetes, the district commissioner has twelve of his men enter the headquarters to arrest them. Umuofia's leaders are caught off guard as they are quickly bound before they know what is happening. The six men are then thrown in jail and beaten by the district commissioner's ruthless guards.