• Edo CP probes gunshot during face-off with EDSTMA officials

The Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Community Relations Committee, Dr Rufus Egbagba, has expressed concern at what he called the growing trend of social media influencers filming police officers during stop-and-search operations.

Raising questions about accountability, privacy, and the proper conduct for police-public interactions, he said the development is particularly disturbing, as officers going about their personal lives are also being recorded.

In the meantime, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Patrick Daaor, has ordered a discreet investigation into a viral video of a face-off between officials of the Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA) and operatives of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), the command spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, said.

The video, which has been trending online, captured an IRT officer firing his rifle into the air during the confrontation. A statement from the command yesterday disclosed that, following the incident, Mr Daaor met with representatives of both agencies and disclosed that a probe was ongoing to unravel what led to the confrontation.

The statement added that the CP also directed that the officer seen firing the weapon face an immediate disciplinary review over possible “unprofessional conduct or abuse of police powers,” adding that any officer found culpable, regardless of agency, would face appropriate sanctions.

However, Egbagba said the position of the Inspector-General of Police on the matter is not a directive against recording police misconduct, and should not be misread as an attempt to shield erring officers from accountability.

He further stressed the need for responsible reporting, adding that “officers performing lawful duties should be able to do so without unnecessary provocation, obstruction, or having every encounter turned into content for views and engagement.”

The PCRC chief emphasised that the Nigeria Police Force has a Police Complaint Response Unit (PCRU), where complaints against officers could be lodged, and where videos and other evidence could be submitted for investigation and appropriate action.

According to him, “social media exposure should complement, not substitute for formal investigation. A short video clip may not always capture the full context of an incident: what led up to it, what was said off-camera, or what followed.

“Yet once published, it can quickly shape public judgment against an individual officer or the force as a whole, before the facts are established.

Acknowledging that while the police may have some bad characters, he argued that “the repeated recording and circulation of the misconduct of a few can create a distorted impression that such behaviour defines the entire Nigeria Police Force, and it can also affect how Nigeria is perceived internationally.”