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The National Industrial Court has mandated the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Police Service Commission (PSC) to assign at least one legally qualified police officer to each police division nationwide.
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Afam Osigwe disclosed the judgment in a statement on Sunday, saying the decision was delivered by the National Industrial Court, Abuja Judicial Division, on July 10 in Suit No. NICN/ABJ/264/2025, filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association against the Police Service Commission and five others.
According to Osigwe, the public interest suit was instituted by the NBA through its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) to seek judicial interpretation and enforcement of provisions of the Police Act, 2020, and the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023, particularly regarding the role and deployment of lawyers within the Nigeria Police Force.
He said the court upheld substantial aspects of the association’s claims and issued far-reaching orders.
Among the declarations, the court ruled that police officers who are qualified legal practitioners but have not been appointed or upgraded as Legal Officers cannot perform the duties attached to that office.
The court also restrained such officers “from holding themselves out as Legal Officers or performing the responsibilities attached to that office, save as expressly authorised by law.”
In what Osigwe described as one of the judgment’s most significant pronouncements, the court declared that the Police Service Commission, the Nigeria Police Force and the Inspector-General of Police have “a mandatory statutory obligation under Section 66(3) of the Police Act, 2020 to deploy legally qualified police officers to every Police Division in Nigeria to promote and ensure human rights compliance.”
The court further directed the authorities “to comply with that statutory obligation by assigning at least one legally qualified police officer to every Police Division across the Federation.”
Although the court declined the NBA’s request for the automatic promotion of police lawyers to the rank of Superintendent of Police, Osigwe said the judgment still marked a significant milestone.
“Although the Court did not grant all the reliefs sought by the Association, particularly the prayer for the automatic upgrading of police lawyers to the rank of Superintendent of Police, the judgment represents a significant advancement in the development of legal practice within the Nigeria Police Force and reinforces the importance of statutory compliance, professionalism, and respect for the rule of law,” he said.
He added that the decision affirms the indispensable role of legal practitioners within law enforcement institutions and strengthens the framework for protecting constitutional rights by improving legal oversight at the divisional level.
He said the NBA would continue to monitor the implementation of the judgment.
NBA SECURES LANDMARK JUDGMENT ON THE STATUS OF LAWYERS IN THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to formally inform all members of our dear association of the landmark judgment delivered by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja Judicial Division, on 10… pic.twitter.com/F01VTOp9H3
— AFAM OSIGWE (@afamosigwe) July 12, 2026
