Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has issued a stern warning to Nigerians against the growing practice of recording police officers on duty and turning such footage into skits and entertainment content for social media, describing the trend as "very, very demoralising" to members of the force. Disu made the appeal on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, during a press conference in Abuja and also in a meeting with the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya. The police chief's comments come amid rising public recordings of law enforcement personnel, a phenomenon he believes has been exacerbated by a recent court judgment affirming citizens' right to record police officers in public spaces.
Addressing the issue, Disu acknowledged that a landmark ruling by a Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, delivered on March 17, 2026, had affirmed that Nigerians have the constitutional right to record police officers performing public duties in public spaces. However, he expressed concern that the judgment had triggered a wave of indiscriminate recordings, with citizens filming officers in various settings, including restaurants and other private spaces. "The recent judgment on the recording of police officers became something of concern to us because the citizens started coming out with their phones to record police officers everywhere and this can be embarrassing," Disu said. "Some even went to restaurants and started recording police officers. Everywhere they see a police officer they start recording and this is very demoralizing to us."
The IGP stressed that while the police are not opposed to citizens exercising their rights to record officers in the course of their duties, such actions must be done responsibly and with restraint. He questioned the appropriateness of recording officers in every situation, asking rhetorically: "Can we come to your offices and record you in your offices? Can we record even in the court?" He further noted that police officers often operate in dangerous and high-pressure environments, including thick forests, bushes, and isolated highways, where they require maximum concentration to carry out their duties effectively. "We are doing very difficult jobs and we need all the concentration in the world to be able to do our jobs," Disu said. "We are not saying they can't exercise their rights of recording officers in public places while doing their jobs but they should put restraint and not turn our police officers into content for their skit or anything."
The NBA President, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, who was present at the meeting, supported the IGP's call for boundaries, particularly where recordings invade the personal privacy of officers who are not engaged in official duties. She noted that there was a distinction between documenting police activities in the lawful discharge of their responsibilities and recording officers in private moments, such as when they are eating or resting. However, she also stressed that concerns about privacy should not be used to discourage transparency when officers are lawfully performing their duties, pointing to the use of body-worn cameras by police officers in the United States as an accountability mechanism.
The IGP's warning has reignited the debate over the delicate balance between citizens' rights to hold law enforcement accountable and the need to protect the dignity and operational effectiveness of police officers. While many Nigerians have welcomed the court's affirmation of their right to record, Disu's appeal highlights the growing tension between the public's use of technology and the realities of policing in a country grappling with insecurity. As the trend of recording police encounters continues to rise, the conversation over how to responsibly exercise this right is likely to persist. For now, the message from the Force Headquarters is clear: exercise your rights, but do not turn our officers into skit content.
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