IG didn’t ban recording police, only opposes misuse for skits — Media officer

The Nigeria Police Force has clarified that the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, is not opposed to citizens recording police officers, saying his concern is the misuse of such recordings.

The Force New Media Officer, Aliyu Giwa, made the clarification in a series of posts on X on Saturday, following controversy over the IGP’s recent comments on Nigerians filming police officers.

Giwa said Disu’s position had been misinterpreted, stressing that the police were not seeking to shield officers from accountability or deny citizens their rights.

“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 in his first post.

He said there was a distinction between responsible documentation and deliberately exploiting encounters with police officers for social media content.

“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 serve both citizens and police officers.

“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, maintained that police officers were entitled to dignity and privacy.

“However, wearing the uniform does not remove an officer’s right to dignity or privacy,” Giwa said.

The clarification came after an X user criticised the IGP’s position and argued that the police should equip officers with body cameras if they were opposed to citizens recording them.

Responding to the user, Giwa said the IGP had not rejected the practice of recording police officers generally.

“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 confirmed that body cameras were being considered as part of discussions around 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 urged Nigerians to discuss the issue without resorting to insults, saying both the police and citizens ultimately had the same objective.

“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.

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In his initial post, Giwa also rejected the framing of the issue as a confrontation between the police and citizens or between Disu 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 clarification followed a recent courtesy visit by the NBA leadership to Disu at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, where the issue of recording police officers was discussed.

Disu had expressed concern over 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 had the right to record officers performing 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 sparked criticism from lawyers, human rights groups and other Nigerians, with some insisting that citizens had a constitutional right to document police officers while they were performing their duties in public.

The NBA President, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, had also said there should be a distinction between legitimate recording of police activities and intrusion into officers’ private lives.

The controversy followed 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 leadership demonstrated that institutions could disagree while still engaging 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 added that the solution was not for either the police or citizens to fear the use of cameras.

“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.