The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has secured a landmark judgment from the National Industrial Court of Nigeria clarifying the status, functions and deployment of legal practitioners serving in the Nigeria Police Force.
The judgment, delivered on July 10, 2026, by the Abuja Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court in Suit No. NICN/ABJ/264/2025 between the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association and the Police Service Commission, alongside five other defendants, resolved key issues concerning the role of lawyers within the police.
Announcing the development to members of the association, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), described the ruling as a significant victory for the legal profession and the promotion of the rule of law in Nigeria.
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 responsibilities and deployment of legally qualified police officers.
He said the court upheld substantial aspects of the association’s claims and made far-reaching declarations aimed at strengthening professionalism and legal compliance within the Nigeria Police Force.