The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has voiced strong concern over the increasing trend of citizens filming police officers on duty, describing the practice as “very, very demoralising” for members of the force.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, and members of the NBA executive committee in Abuja, the police chief addressed the operational impact of video recording on frontline officers.
Concerns over court rulings and social media misuse
Disu noted that a recent judicial ruling affirming the right of citizens to record police officers in public spaces has led to a surge in filming across various checkpoints and operational beats nationwide.
While clarifying that the force does not dispute the legal right of citizens to record public officers performing their duties, he cautioned against abusing this privilege for online entertainment.
“Can we come to your offices and record you in your offices? Can we even record in the courts?” Disu questioned. “We are not saying they cannot exercise their rights of recording officers in public places while doing their jobs. But they should exercise restraint and not turn our police officers into content for their skits or social media posts.”
Operational vulnerabilities
The Inspector-General highlighted the security risks and harsh conditions under which many officers operate, emphasising that public filming often overlooks the hazardous environments of highway checkpoints and remote beats.
“If you look at where we have our officers at checkpoints, these are dangerous areas deep in the forest, in the bushes, on the highways, in the middle of nowhere,” Disu stated, emphasising the need for public empathy and operational focus.\
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