The National Industrial Court in Abuja has ruled that police officers who are not formally appointed into the Nigeria Police Force’s Specialist Legal Cadre cannot represent the Force in civil proceedings, describing the practice as inconsistent with existing legal and professional regulations.
In the same judgment delivered on Friday, the court directed the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to deploy at least one police lawyer to every police station nationwide to strengthen legal oversight and improve compliance with human rights standards.
Justice O. Y. Anuwe gave the ruling in Suit No. NICN/ABJ/264/2025, filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) against the PSC and five other defendants.
The case was prosecuted by the NBA’s Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) Public Interest Litigation Committee, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olukunle O. Edun.
The NBA had argued that several police officers recruited as General Duty Officers later obtained law degrees and were called to the Nigerian Bar but were never formally converted to the Specialist Legal Cadre, as required by law.
Despite this, the association said such officers continued to provide legal services and represent the police in civil cases.
According to the NBA, the practice violates Rule 8 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, which restricts salaried employees from appearing in court for their employers unless they are employed as legal officers within a government department or agency.
Before addressing the substantive issues, the court dismissed a preliminary objection filed by the Police Service Commission challenging the competence of the suit and the NBA’s legal standing to institute the action.
Justice Anuwe held that the NBA had the requisite locus standi, adopting what the court described as a liberal approach to public interest litigation and noting that the suit was brought to protect the interests of legal practitioners and ensure compliance with statutory obligations.
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 lawfully appear in civil proceedings on behalf of the Nigeria Police Force.
The court consequently restrained such officers from representing the Force in court until they are duly appointed into the appropriate legal cadre.
The judge further ordered the PSC and the IGP to implement Section 66(3) of the Police Act 2020 by deploying police lawyers to police stations across the country.
The court stated that the deployment is intended to strengthen legal oversight within the Force and improve the protection of human rights during arrests, detention, investigations and other policing activities..
