IG did not Ban Recording Police, Only Opposes Misuse for Skits

The Nigeria Police Force has clarified that Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, did not prohibit Nigerians from recording police officers performing their duties in public.

The clarification followed controversy over comments by the police chief concerning citizens recording officers, particularly after a recent court ruling affirming the right of Nigerians to film police personnel in public.

The police said Disu acknowledged citizens’ right to record officers while they were performing their duties, but urged members of the public to exercise restraint and avoid turning such recordings into entertainment content or skits.

Disu reportedly expressed concern that some officers were being recorded unnecessarily, including while eating in restaurants, describing the practice as demoralising to personnel.

He, however, maintained that the police were not opposed to legitimate recording of officers in public while carrying out their responsibilities.

The IGP also highlighted the difficult conditions faced by officers deployed to checkpoints, highways and isolated locations, saying their duties often exposed them to significant risks.

The issue was discussed during a meeting between the IGP and the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association.

NBA President Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya agreed that there should be a distinction between legitimate documentation of police activities and unnecessary intrusion into officers’ privacy.

She also stressed the importance of transparency and accountability in policing, citing the use of body-worn cameras by police in the United States as an example of how recording can help establish facts during encounters between officers and members of the public.

The clarification comes amid continuing public debate over citizens’ right to document police conduct and the need to balance that right with officers’ privacy and dignity.