The Nigeria Police Force has clarified that Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu does not oppose Nigerians recording police officers in public, but objects to the use of such recordings for ridicule, entertainment and social media skits.
The Punch reported that the Force New Media Officer, Aliyu Giwa, made the clarification on Saturday through a series of posts on X, following criticism of Disu’s recent comments about citizens filming police officers while they perform their duties.
Giwa explained that the IGP’s position was not aimed at preventing police accountability or restricting citizens’ rights, but at discouraging what he described as the inappropriate use of recordings involving police officers.
“The IGP’s concern is not to shield Police officers from accountability or deny citizens their rights. Instead, it focuses on the misuse of recordings, especially when officers are provoked, ridiculed, filmed for entertainment, or subjected to unnecessary intrusion while performing their duties,” Giwa said.
He urged Nigerians to differentiate between documenting police activities for legitimate reasons and recording officers primarily to create social media content, noting that footage could also help protect both the public and members of the Force.
“It is important to distinguish between responsible documentation and the deliberate exploitation of Police encounters for social media content,” he said.
Giwa added that legitimate recordings could provide evidence where officers acted improperly, while also helping to defend police officers against false accusations and assisting investigations.
“As a public institution, the Police must remain open to legitimate scrutiny. Evidence is essential when an officer acts improperly. Similarly, responsible recording can protect officers from false allegations and support investigations,” he said.
He, however, noted that police officers, despite performing public duties, retained certain rights, including dignity and privacy.
“However, wearing the uniform does not remove an officer’s right to dignity or privacy,” Giwa said.
The clarification followed criticism from an X user who argued that the police should provide officers with body cameras if the Force was uncomfortable with citizens recording them.
Responding to the criticism, Giwa stressed that the IGP had not called for a blanket ban on recording police officers.
“While you are allowed to interpret it as you see fit, the message from the IGP was concerning the misuse of recordings, not a general rejection of legitimate documentation or accountability,” Giwa said in his reply.
He also disclosed that body cameras were being considered as part of efforts towards more accountable policing.
“Body cameras are, in fact, part of the broader conversation about modern, accountable policing, and they can protect both citizens and officers,” he said.
Giwa appealed to Nigerians to engage the issue constructively, saying the police and citizens ultimately shared the goal of achieving a safer and more professional society.
“The police need to be accountable and citizens should exercise their rights in a responsible way, we can have that discussion without using insults. The end aim is the same, a more professional Police Force and a safer Nigeria,” he said in the reply.
He also rejected attempts to portray the disagreement as a confrontation between the police and the public or between the IGP and the Nigerian Bar Association.
“Therefore, the conversation should not be framed as Police versus the public or the IGP versus the NBA,” he said.
“Instead, it should focus on balancing accountability with responsibility, transparency with privacy, and citizens’ rights with the professional discharge of Police duties,” he added.
The issue had featured during a recent courtesy visit by the NBA leadership to Disu at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
Disu had raised concerns about Nigerians recording police officers, particularly for social media skits, describing the practice as “very, very demoralising” for members of the Force.
The IGP, however, acknowledged that citizens were entitled to record officers carrying out their duties in public.
“We are not saying they cannot exercise their rights of recording officers in the public places while doing their jobs,” Disu said.
“But they should put restraints and not turn our police officers to content for their skits or anything,” he added.
The comments generated criticism from lawyers, human rights groups and other Nigerians, with some maintaining that citizens had a constitutional right to document police officers while they were performing official duties in public.
The NBA President, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, had also called for a distinction between legitimate documentation of police activities and intrusion into officers’ private lives.
The controversy came against the backdrop of a March 17 judgment of the Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, which affirmed Nigerians’ right to record police officers while they perform their duties in public.
Giwa said the engagement between the IGP and the NBA showed that institutions could hold different positions while continuing to engage constructively.
“The engagement between the IGP and NBA leadership demonstrates that strong institutions can engage constructively, clarify positions, and collaborate despite differing perspectives,” he said.
He maintained that technology should be used responsibly rather than feared by either the police or members of the public.
“In the digital age, the solution is not to fear the camera. Instead, we should use technology responsibly, uphold professionalism, and let truth, rather than social media narratives, define the conversation,” Giwa said.
“The camera should not weaken the institution. Also, institutions should not fear legitimate scrutiny. Both must ultimately serve the truth, justice, and the Nigerian people,” he added.
