Human Rights Groups Back Right to Film Police Officers

Human rights organizations and the African Action Congress (AAC) have expressed support for the Nigerian Bar Association's defense of citizens' rights to film police officers while on duty. This response follows comments from Inspector General of Police Tunji Disu, who described the trend of filming police as demoralizing.

President Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya backed the right to record officers but called for clearer boundaries to protect officers' private lives. The debate intensified after a March 17 judgment by Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa in Warri, Delta State, which upheld the constitutional right to record police during public operations and mandated officers to display their names and force numbers.

Isa Sanusi, country director of a human rights organization, stated that there is no justification for limiting transparency in policing. Gerald Katchy from the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights emphasized that video documentation is essential for accountability.

The AAC cited Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that officers cannot invoke privacy rights in public spaces.