The National Industrial Court in Abuja has ruled that police officers who are not employed under the Specialist Legal Cadre cannot represent the Nigeria Police Force in civil court proceedings.
In the same judgment, the court directed the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to deploy at least one qualified police lawyer to every police station across Nigeria to improve legal oversight and strengthen human rights compliance within the Force.
Justice O. Y. Anuwe delivered the judgment on July 10, 2026, in a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) against the Police Service Commission and other respondents.
The NBA sought the court’s interpretation of provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, the Nigeria Police Act 2020, and the Police Force Order relating to the role of police lawyers within the Force.
According to the NBA, several General Duty Police Officers who later obtained law degrees and were called to the Nigerian Bar continued performing legal duties and representing the Nigeria Police in court without being officially converted to the Specialist Legal Cadre, as required by law.
The association argued that the practice violated professional regulations governing lawyers in salaried employment, which restrict legal representation for employers to those formally employed as legal officers within government institutions.
Before addressing the substantive issues, the court dismissed the preliminary objection raised by the Police Service Commission, which questioned the NBA’s legal standing to institute the case. Justice Anuwe held that the NBA had the right to bring the action because it sought to protect the interests of legal practitioners and ensure compliance with existing laws and professional standards.
On the merits of the case, the court ruled that legally qualified police officers who have not been appointed or converted to the Specialist Legal Cadre cannot appear in civil matters on behalf of the Nigeria Police Force.
The court also ordered the PSC and the Inspector-General of Police to fully implement Section 66(3) of the Nigeria Police Act by posting police lawyers to police stations nationwide to enhance legal support and safeguard human rights during police operations.
