The Nigeria Police Force(NPF) has clarified that Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, is not opposed to citizens recording officers performing their duties in public, but cautioned against using such footage to ridicule, provoke or exploit police encounters for social media content.

The Force New Media Officer, Aliyu Giwa, made the clarification in a series of posts on X on Saturday, following criticism of the IGP’s recent comments on Nigerians filming police officers.

Giwa said Disu’s position had been misinterpreted, stressing that the police were not seeking to shield officers from accountability or deny citizens their rights.

“The IGP’s concern is not to shield Police officers from accountability or deny citizens their rights. Instead, it focuses on the misuse of recordings, especially when officers are provoked, ridiculed, filmed for entertainment, or subjected to unnecessary intrusion while performing their duties,” he said.

According to him, a distinction must be made between responsible documentation of police activities and the deliberate exploitation of encounters with officers for social media content.

“It is important to distinguish between responsible documentation and the deliberate exploitation of Police encounters for social media content,” Giwa said.

He added that legitimate recordings could benefit both citizens and members of the Force by providing evidence when officers act improperly and helping to protect officers against false allegations.

“As a public institution, the Police must remain open to legitimate scrutiny. Evidence is essential when an officer acts improperly. Similarly, responsible recording can protect officers from false allegations and support investigations,” he said.

Giwa, however, maintained that police officers were entitled to dignity and privacy, noting that wearing a uniform did not remove those rights.

“However, wearing the uniform does not remove an officer’s right to dignity or privacy,” he said.

The clarification followed an exchange between Giwa and an X user who criticised the IGP’s position and argued that the police should equip officers with body cameras if they were opposed to citizens recording them.

Responding to the criticism, Giwa reiterated that Disu had not rejected the practice of recording police officers generally.

“While you are allowed to interpret it as you see fit, the message from the IGP was concerning the misuse of recordings, not a general rejection of legitimate documentation or accountability,” he said.

He also confirmed that body cameras were being considered as part of discussions on accountable policing.

“Body cameras are, in fact, part of the broader conversation about modern, accountable policing, and they can protect both citizens and officers,” Giwa said.

Urging Nigerians to engage the issue constructively, the police spokesman said the debate should not be reduced to a confrontation between the Force and the public.

“The police need to be accountable and citizens should exercise their rights in a responsible way, we can have that discussion without using insults. The end aim is the same, a more professional Police Force and a safer Nigeria,” he said.

Giwa also rejected the framing of the controversy as a dispute between the police and the public or between the IGP and the Nigerian Bar Association.

“Therefore, the conversation should not be framed as Police versus the public or the IGP versus the NBA,” he said.

“Instead, it should focus on balancing accountability with responsibility, transparency with privacy, and citizens’ rights with the professional discharge of Police duties,” he added.

The clarification followed a recent courtesy visit by the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association to Disu at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, during which the issue of recording police officers was discussed.

During the engagement, Disu had expressed concern over the filming of police officers, particularly when recordings were used for social media skits, describing the practice as “very, very demoralising” for members of the Force.

The IGP, however, acknowledged that citizens had the right to record officers performing their duties in public.

“We are not saying they cannot exercise their rights of recording officers in the public places while doing their jobs,” Disu said.
“But they should put restraints and not turn our police officers to content for their skits or anything,” he added.

The comments generated criticism from lawyers, human rights groups and other Nigerians, some of whom insisted that citizens had a constitutional right to document police officers while they were performing their duties in public.

The NBA President, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, had also said there should be a distinction between legitimate recording of police activities and intrusion into officers’ private lives.

The controversy also came against the backdrop of a March 17 judgment of the Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, which affirmed Nigerians’ right to record police officers while they perform their duties in public.

Giwa said the engagement between the IGP and the NBA leadership showed that institutions could disagree on an issue while continuing to engage constructively.

“The engagement between the IGP and NBA leadership demonstrates that strong institutions can engage constructively, clarify positions, and collaborate despite differing perspectives,” he said.

He maintained that the response to the controversy should not be to discourage the use of cameras but to promote responsible technology use and professionalism.

“In the digital age, the solution is not to fear the camera. Instead, we should use technology responsibly, uphold professionalism, and let truth, rather than social media narratives, define the conversation,” Giwa said.

“The camera should not weaken the institution. Also, institutions should not fear legitimate scrutiny. Both must ultimately serve the truth, justice, and the Nigerian people,” he added.