IGP office acknowledges Jaja, Aliyu as NLS Executive Director, President — Jaja

Michael Olumide Alabi

Office of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has, in an official correspondence dated March 10, 2026, acknowledged Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, SCN, as the Executive Director of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS), and Ambassador Dahiru Aliyu, SCN, as its President.

The letter referenced CB:5180/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.43/41 was signed by the Principal Staff Officer to the Inspector-General of Police, Commissioner of Police Lateef Audio Ahmed.

According to Dr. Jaja, the correspondence was addressed to the President of the Nigerian Law Society at No. 4 Sefadu Close, off Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, which he described as the national headquarters of the organisation.
Jaja said the Nigerian Law Society received its certificate of registration dated December 30, 2025, from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and SMEDAN.

He said the latest clarification became necessary following what he described as continuing public controversy and conflicting claims concerning the identity, registration and leadership of organisations operating under the name Nigerian Law Society.
The IGP letter followed congratulatory correspondence

Jaja explained that the March 10 correspondence from the IGP’s office followed an earlier letter jointly signed by him and Ambassador Aliyu in their respective capacities as Executive Director and President of the Nigerian Law Society.

The earlier correspondence, according to Jaja, congratulated the Inspector-General of Police on his appointment and swearing-in as the 18th indigenous Inspector-General of Police of Nigeria.

He said the letter also conveyed the organisation’s position on lawful policing reforms.

Jaja further stated that the IGP correspondence contained a warning against unauthorised circulation of the document and referred to possible legal consequences for any violation of the directive.

Jaja rejects impersonation claims
The NLS Executive Director also rejected claims which, he said, had been circulated online alleging that Chief J.K. Gadzama and his associates founded the Nigerian Law Society and that another organisation or individuals were impersonating them.

Jaja described such reports as unfounded and said the matter should instead be considered in the context of ongoing legal proceedings involving Gadzama and his associates, the Corporate Affairs Commission and the Nigerian Bar Association.

He stated that the dispute is before the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, and concerns efforts to secure registration of an association of lawyers as an alternative to the Nigerian Bar Association.

Jaja further claimed that the CAC and NBA have opposed the registration of a parallel bar association, citing the existing legal framework governing legal practice in Nigeria.

NLS explains its non-litigation focus
According to Jaja, the Nigerian Law Society does not seek to replace or operate as a parallel bar association to the Nigerian Bar Association.

He said the NLS is focused primarily on lawyers and law graduates engaged in areas of legal practice that do not necessarily involve courtroom litigation.

He explained that membership may include law graduates and lawyers working in areas such as legislative drafting, legal education and research, arbitration and mediation, company secretarial services, data protection, law reform and other specialised areas of legal practice.

Among the areas listed by Jaja are:
Legislative drafting, including work connected with the National Assembly; Law lecturing and legal research; Arbitration, mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR); Company secretarial services under the Companies and Allied Matters Act; Data privacy and data protection practice; and
Law revision and law reform.

Jaja said the distinction between the NLS and the NBA, as presented by his organisation, is that the NBA represents legal practitioners operating within the statutory framework governing admission to legal practice and courtroom advocacy, while the NLS focuses on non-litigation areas of legal expertise.

Fellowship for non-litigation legal professionals

The Executive Director also disclosed that the Nigerian Law Society is collaborating with another registered organisation, the Body of Senior Counsel of Nigeria (BOSCON), in connection with the award of Fellowship described as the Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria (SCN).

According to Jaja, the recognition is intended for non-litigation Nigerian lawyers who meet specified assessment requirements.

He said the criteria include a minimum of 10 years as a holder of an LLB degree, together with evidence of at least 35 verifiable non-litigation transactions and publications.

Jaja maintained that the clarification was intended to provide the public and members of the legal profession with information on the identity, structure and area of operation of the organisation.

He urged members of the public and lawyers to distinguish between the Nigerian Law Society described in his statement and other organisations or initiatives using similar nomenclature.