The National Industrial Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigeria Police Force to deploy at least one lawyer to every police station across the country in line with the provisions of the Police Act 2020.
Justice O. Y. Anuwe issued the directive on Friday while delivering judgment in a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) against the Police Service Commission and five other respondents.
The court also barred police officers who are not members of the Specialist Legal Cadre from representing the Nigeria Police Force in civil cases.
In addition, the judge 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.
The suit, filed through the NBA’s Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), sought the interpretation of provisions of the Police Act 2020, the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2023 and the Police Force Order 2013 relating to the appointment and functions of police lawyers.
The NBA argued that many police officers recruited as General Duty Officers later qualified as lawyers but were never converted to the Specialist Legal Cadre as required by law, despite performing legal duties and representing the police in court.
Delivering judgment, Justice Anuwe held that the NBA had the right to institute the public interest suit, noting that it was aimed at protecting the legal profession and ensuring compliance with statutory provisions.
The court ruled that legally qualified police officers who had not been appointed or converted to the Specialist Legal Cadre could not continue representing the police in civil proceedings, describing the practice as inconsistent with the Rules of Professional Conduct.
Justice Anuwe further held that deploying lawyers to police stations nationwide would improve legal oversight, strengthen compliance with human rights standards and enhance police handling of arrests, investigations and detention procedures.
Reacting to the judgment, the NBA described the ruling as a major victory for the rule of law and police reform.
In a statement posted on its official X account on Saturday, the association said the decision would strengthen the professionalisation of police legal practice, improve access to legal advice at police divisions and reinforce constitutional safeguards in policing.
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