Tunji Disu, inspector-general of police (IGP), has asked Nigerians to exercise restraint when exercising their rights to record police officers on official duty.
Disu spoke on Tuesday when Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), accompanied by members of the association’s executive committee, visited him at the force headquarters in Abuja.
The IGP said police operatives were “jostled” by the court judgement that ruled that Nigerians can record police officers conducting stop-and-search operations in public spaces.
Disu said following the judgement, Nigerians had started recording police officers everywhere, including at restaurants.
The IGP said the trend is demoralising to police officers who are risking their lives to protect citizens in dangerous places.
“Can we come to your offices and record you? Can we record even in the court? People coming to our offices with concealed cameras,” Disu said.
“The recent judgement on the recording of police officers – that one really jolted our officers. It became something of concern to us because the citizens started coming out with their phones to record police officers everywhere.
“This can be demoralising. Some even went to a restaurant to start recording police officers while eating.
“Everywhere you see a policeman, you start recording. We are doing very difficult jobs, and we need all the concentration in the world to be able to do our jobs.
“We are not saying they cannot exercise their rights in recording officers in public places while doing their jobs, but they should put restraint and not turn our police officers to content for their skits or anything.”
In March, a federal high court in Delta state ruled that Nigerians can record police officers conducting stop-and-search operations in public spaces.
Hyeladzira Nganjiwa, the presiding judge, made the ruling following a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Maxwell Nosakhare Uwaifo, a lawyer.
Nganjiwa held that Nigerians have a constitutional right to record police officers performing their duties
