RismadarVoice Reporters
September 12, 2026
The Nigeria Police Force has clarified that Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, is not opposed to citizens recording police officers while they perform their duties in public.
The Force New Media Officer, Aliyu Giwa, said the IGP’s concern was not about preventing legitimate scrutiny but about the misuse of recordings, particularly when encounters with police officers are deliberately turned into social media content.
Giwa made the clarification in a series of posts on X on Saturday following criticism of the police chief’s recent comments on the filming of officers.
According to him, responsible recording can promote accountability and provide evidence when misconduct occurs, while also helping to protect police officers against false allegations.
“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 distinguish between legitimate documentation of police activities and deliberately exploiting encounters with officers for social media content.
Giwa added that being in uniform does not deprive police officers of their rights to dignity and privacy.
“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.
The clarification followed criticism from an X user who suggested that police officers should be equipped with body cameras if the Force was uncomfortable with members of the public recording them.
Responding, Giwa said body cameras were already part of discussions around modern and 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.
He said the issue should not be framed as a confrontation between the police and members of the public, stressing the need to balance citizens’ rights with the professional discharge of police duties.
The controversy followed remarks by Disu during a recent courtesy visit by the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The IGP had criticised the practice of recording police officers for social media skits, describing it as demoralising to members of the Force.
He, however, acknowledged that Nigerians have the right to record police officers performing their duties in public.
“We are not saying they cannot exercise their rights of recording officers in public places while doing their jobs,” Disu said.
“But they should put restraints and not turn our police officers into content for their skits or anything,” he added.
The comments generated debate among lawyers, human rights advocates and other Nigerians, with some insisting that citizens should be able to document police activities in public.
NBA President Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya also argued that a distinction should be made between legitimate recording of police operations and intrusion into officers’ private lives.
The debate has also drawn attention to a March 17 judgment of the Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, which affirmed the right of Nigerians to record police officers while they are performing their duties in public.
Giwa said the meeting between the police leadership and the NBA demonstrated that institutions could disagree on issues while still engaging constructively.
He said the focus should now be on responsible use of technology, professional policing and legitimate accountability.
“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,” he 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.
