The Nigeria Police Force has clarified the position of Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu on citizens recording police officers, saying the IGP is not opposed to legitimate documentation of officers carrying out their duties.
The clarification follows public debate generated by the issue and an engagement between the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association and the Inspector-General of Police at Force Headquarters in Abuja.
Force New Media Officer Aliyu Giwa said the IGP’s concern was directed at what the Police consider misuse of recordings, including incidents where officers are allegedly provoked, ridiculed or turned into social-media entertainment.
According to the clarification, legitimate recording can serve an accountability purpose by producing evidence of misconduct while also protecting officers against false allegations.
The Force nevertheless maintained that police officers retain rights to dignity and privacy and argued that legitimate scrutiny should be distinguished from unnecessary intrusion into an officer’s private life.
Significantly, the Police expressly rejected attempts to frame the debate as a confrontation between the IGP and the NBA.
The Force said the engagement demonstrated that institutions could hold differing views, clarify their positions and still cooperate in the interest of justice.
NBA President Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya had earlier supported the right of citizens to record police officers performing public duties, while also calling for clearer boundaries regarding officers’ privacy.
Her position came during the September 8 meeting with the IGP, where the NBA and Police leadership also discussed broader measures to reduce recurring friction between police officers and lawyers.
The discussion has wider implications for policing in the digital era.
Mobile-phone recordings have become increasingly important in documenting encounters between citizens and law-enforcement officers, while body-worn cameras are also being considered as part of a broader accountability framework.
For the NBA, the engagement represents an opportunity to push for a workable standard that protects citizens’ right to document public law-enforcement activity without encouraging harassment, obstruction or unlawful invasion of privacy.
Source: TheNigeriaLawyer | Premium Times
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