Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu has urged Nigerians to exercise restraint when recording police officers while they are carrying out their official duties.
Disu appealed on Tuesday when the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, accompanied by members of the association’s executive committee, on a visit to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The IGP said a recent court judgment affirming the right of Nigerians to record police officers conducting stop-and-search operations in public spaces had unsettled some officers.
According to Disu, the judgment has led to an increase in Nigerians recording police officers in different situations, including while they are off duty in places such as restaurants.
“The recent judgment on the recording of police officers really jolted our officers. It became something of concern to us because the citizens started coming out with their phones to record police officers everywhere,” Disu said.
He argued that the development could have a demoralising effect on officers who work in dangerous environments and require concentration to perform their duties.
“This can be demoralising. Some even went to a restaurant to start recording police officers while eating,” he said.
“Everywhere you see a policeman, you start recording. We are doing very difficult jobs, and we need all the concentration in the world to be able to do our jobs.”
However, Disu acknowledged that Nigerians have the right to record police officers in public while they are performing their duties.
“We are not saying they cannot exercise their rights in recording officers in public places while doing their jobs, but they should put restraint and not turn our police officers to content for their skits or anything,” he said.
The IGP’s comments come months after a Federal High Court in Delta State ruled that Nigerians can record police officers conducting stop-and-search operations in public spaces.
The judgment has since generated debate over the balance between citizens’ rights to document police conduct and the need for officers to carry out their duties without unnecessary interference.
