The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) has ordered prohibitted lawyers in the Nigeria Police Force who are not appointed as legal officers in the force to stop prosecuting criminal cases.
The judge, Olufunke Anuwe, declared in her judgement delivered on Friday “that police officers who are lawyers but not appointed or upgraded as legal officers in the Nigeria Police Force are in breach of the provisions of Rule 8(1) and (2) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023, by their actions of functioning and performing the duties of legal officers, other than the duties of prosecution of criminal cases, for their employer.”
The judge also ordered the police force, Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Inspector-General of the Federation to deploy “police officers who are legal practitioners to every Police Division in Nigeria to assist with the enforcement of human rights in policing at the Divisions.”
She issued the order citing Section 66(3) of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020, which mandates that there must be at least one police officer in every division who is qualified to practise as a legal practitioner in accordance with the Legal Practitioners Act.
She noted that all serving police officers who are lawyers and have yet to be upgraded to legal officers should stop posing as and performing the functions of legal officers.
