The Office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has written to recognize Ambassador Dahiru Aliyu and Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja as the President and Executive Director, respectively, of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS). This move comes amid an ongoing row over the legitimate version of the NLS. The IGP's letter, dated March 10, 2026, was signed by Commissioner of Police Lateef Adio Ahmed, Principal Staff Officer to the IGP.
There are currently two versions of the Nigerian Law Society in the country. One is led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief JK Gadzama, while the other is led by Aliyu and Jaja. The IGP's letter was a response to an earlier letter signed by Aliyu and Jaja, addressed to the IGP. The letter is addressed to the President of the NLS, with the office address at No. 4 Sefadu Close off Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nigeria.
Reacting to the development, Jaja noted that the address mentioned in the IGP's letter is the office address and National Headquarters of the legitimate and registered Nigerian Law Society (NLS). The NLS led by Aliyu and Jaja received its certificate of registration dated December 30, 2025, from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).
Jaja refuted reports that Gadzama is the founder of the NLS and is being impersonated by a parallel leadership. He stated that the NLS led by Aliyu and himself is not part of an ongoing lawsuit between the Gadzama-led NLS and the CAC and Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). According to Jaja, Gadzama and his associates are currently engaged in a lawsuit at the Court of Appeal Abuja Division against the CAC and NBA.
The lawsuit at the Court of Appeal is seeking an Order to compel the CAC to register Gadzama's group as an Association of lawyers and an alternative to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). However, both the NBA and CAC are opposed to the registration of any parallel Bar Association for lawyers in Nigeria, citing the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962, which recognizes only the NBA.
Jaja clarified that the NLS led by Aliyu and himself is an association of non-litigation Nigerian lawyers, unlike the lawyers under the NBA who are legal practitioners recognized under the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962. Members of the NLS are lawyers who have completed the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and some have not received additional qualification by attendance at the Nigerian Law School and called to Bar.
The lawyers who are members of the NLS have made a conscious decision to specialize in fields of law that do not require courtroom litigation. These areas include legislative drafting, law lecturing, and legal research, arbitration, mediation, and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practice, company secretarial services, and law revision and reforms, among others.
Key points
- The IGP's recognition of Aliyu and Jaja as leaders of the NLS adds to the legitimacy row with a rival group led by Chief JK Gadzama.
- The NLS led by Aliyu and Jaja is an association of non-litigation Nigerian lawyers, registered by the CAC and SMEDAN.
- The ongoing lawsuit between the Gadzama-led NLS and the CAC and NBA is seeking registration as an alternative to the Nigerian Bar Association.
