By Tunji Braimoh, Abuja

The Office of the Inspector General of Police has acknowledged Ambassador Dahiru Aliyu and Dr Tonye Clinton Jaja as President and Executive Director respectively of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS), amid an ongoing dispute over the leadership and status of the organisation.

The position of the police was contained in a letter dated March 10, 2026, with reference number CB:5180/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.43/41, signed by Commissioner of Police Lateef Adio Ahmed, Principal Staff Officer to the IGP. The letter was issued in response to earlier correspondence from Aliyu and Jaja addressed to the Inspector General of Police.

The development comes against the backdrop of competing claims involving two organisations operating under the name Nigerian Law Society. One is associated with Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief JK Gadzama, while the other is led by Aliyu and Jaja.Jaja, while reacting to the development, said the organisation led by himself and Aliyu operates from its national headquarters at No. 4 Sefadu Close, off Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Abuja.

He stated that the organisation received a certificate of registration dated December 30, 2025, from the Corporate Affairs Commission and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria.Jaja also rejected claims that Gadzama founded the organisation and that the Aliyu led body was impersonating another organisation.

He maintained that the organisation led by Aliyu and himself is not a party to the legal dispute involving Gadzama’s group, the Corporate Affairs Commission and the Nigerian Bar Association.

According to Jaja, Gadzama and his associates are challenging the Corporate Affairs Commission at the Court of Appeal in Abuja over the registration of an association of lawyers positioned as an alternative to the Nigerian Bar Association. He further claimed that the NBA and CAC had opposed the registration of another parallel bar association, citing the provisions of the Legal Practitioners Act.Jaja said the organisation led by Aliyu and himself operates differently from the Nigerian Bar Association, describing its membership as comprising lawyers involved in non litigation areas of the profession.

He explained that its members include holders of Bachelor of Laws degrees as well as some lawyers who have been called to the Bar but have chosen professional fields that do not primarily involve courtroom advocacy.He listed areas associated with members of the organisation to include legislative drafting, legal education, legal research, arbitration, mediation,

Alternative Dispute Resolution, company secretarial services, law revision and legal reforms.The leadership dispute has consequently raised questions about the identity, registration and legal status of organisations operating under the Nigerian Law Society name. While the Aliyu and Jaja group relies on its stated CAC and SMEDAN registration, the competing group has pursued its own legal position through the courts.

The latest communication from the Office of the Inspector General of Police adds another dimension to the dispute, following the acknowledgement of Aliyu and Jaja in their stated capacities. The broader legal questions surrounding the competing claims, however, remain matters for the relevant regulatory authorities and the courts to determine.