Three Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Olu Daramola, Olalekan Ojo and Isiaka Olagunju, have affirmed that Nigerians have the right to record police officers while performing their duties in public spaces.
The lawyers were reacting to the position of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, who criticised a court decision supporting citizens’ right to record police activities, describing it as demoralising to the force.
Daramola said the right was backed by a subsisting Federal High Court judgment in Maxwell Uwaifor v. Inspector-General of Police, which also directed police officers to display visible name tags and force numbers. He said the judgment prohibited officers from seizing phones or deleting footage recorded by members of the public
Ojo said recording police activities could promote transparency, preserve evidence and discourage misconduct, but advised citizens to prioritise their safety where officers might react aggressively.
Olagunju similarly acknowledged concerns about privacy and safety but maintained that recording public officers who fail to perform their duties properly should be encouraged as a means of promoting accountability.
The SANs warned citizens not to obstruct officers from carrying out lawful duties while making recordings
