The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) has delivered a landmark judgment barring police officers who are not employed in the Specialist Legal Cadre from representing the Nigeria Police Force in civil proceedings, while also ordering the deployment of at least one qualified police lawyer to every police station across the country.
The decision, delivered by Justice O. Y. Anuwe at the Abuja Judicial Division on Friday, July 10, 2026, followed a suit instituted by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) challenging the continued appearance of non-specialist police lawyers in court and seeking reforms to strengthen legal oversight and human rights compliance within the Force.
The case, Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association v. Police Service Commission & 5 Others (Suit No. NICN/ABJ/264/2025), was prosecuted by the Public Interest Litigation Committee of the NBA’s Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Olukunle O. Edun.
The NBA argued that several police officers recruited as General Duty Officers subsequently obtained law degrees and were called to the Nigerian Bar but were never converted to the Specialist Legal Cadre as required under the law. Despite this, the officers allegedly continued to perform legal duties, including representing the Nigeria Police in civil cases.
According to the association, the practice violates Rule 8(1) and (2) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023, which prohibits lawyers in salaried employment from appearing in court for their employers unless they are employed as legal officers in a government department or agency.
Before addressing the substantive issues, the court dismissed a preliminary objection filed by the Police Service Commission (PSC), which had challenged both the competence of the suit and the legal standing of the NBA to institute the action.
Justice Anuwe held that the NBA possessed the requisite locus standi, adopting what the court described as a liberal approach to public interest litigation. The court found that the action was instituted to protect the interests of legal practitioners and ensure compliance with statutory and professional obligations governing legal practice.
On the substantive issues, the court ruled that police officers who have not been appointed or converted to the Specialist Legal Cadre cannot lawfully represent the Nigeria Police Force in civil proceedings.
The court consequently restrained such officers from appearing in civil cases on behalf of the Force until they are duly appointed or converted into the appropriate legal cadre in accordance with the law.
In a further directive with potentially significant implications for policing across the country, Justice Anuwe ordered the Police Service Commission and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to implement the provisions of Section 66(3) of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020, by deploying at least one police lawyer to every police station nationwide.
The court held that the deployment would strengthen legal oversight within the Nigeria Police Force and improve compliance with human rights standards in policing.
The NBA had also sought an order compelling the conversion of all legally qualified police officers currently performing legal functions into the Specialist Legal Cadre, arguing that doing so would align police legal practice with the requirements of the Police Act and the Rules of Professional Conduct.
Legal analysts say the judgment is expected to reshape the administration of legal services within the Nigeria Police Force by ensuring that only properly designated legal officers represent the Force in civil litigation.
The ruling is also expected to enhance legal advisory services at divisional police formations, strengthen institutional compliance with constitutional safeguards governing arrests, detention and investigations, and reinforce the protection of fundamental human rights during police operations.
For the Nigerian Bar Association, the judgment represents another significant victory in its use of strategic public interest litigation to drive institutional reforms, clarify the legal status of police lawyers and promote greater adherence to the rule of law within Nigeria’s justice system.
