Court Affirms Nigerians' Right to Film Police, Mandates Name Tags
A Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, ruled in March that Nigerians have a constitutional right to record police officers performing duties in public. Judge H. A. Nganjiwa ordered police to wear visible name tags and display force numbers, and forbade harassing, intimidating, arresting, or confiscating devices from citizens who record. The judgment followed a suit by Maxwell Uwaifo challenging unlawful stop-and-searches; the court awarded him N5 million for rights violation and N2 million for litigation costs.
Anietie Iniedu, Head of the police Complaint Response Unit (CRU), calls the ruling "transformative" because it legally backs video evidence as legitimate complaint documentation. This shifts CRU from reactive handling to proactive accountability, eliminating reliance on secondary sources for investigations. The ruling also addresses "anonymous abuse" by mandating identification and supports ongoing CRU capacity expansion with UNODC and US funding.
This follows the Nigeria Police Force's public confirmation in December 2023 that filming officers is lawful. Force spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi stated then that harassment of those recording constitutes misconduct. The judgment provides judicial enforcement of that policy. Citizens should know that recording police on duty is a protected constitutional right, and officers must display identification. Any officer demanding you stop recording or confiscating your device is acting unlawfully.
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