Police Reform: IGP Disu Addresses Impunity and Filming

Olatunji Rilwan Disu, the new Inspector-General of Police, declared an end to impunity in policing during his inaugural address. This statement gained significance following the shooting of 28-year-old Mene Ogidi in Effurun, Delta State, by police operatives who intercepted him over a parcel containing a Beretta pistol and ammunition.

The police responded swiftly by removing ASP Nuhu Usman and others from their command, leading to their dismissal for gross violations of firearm regulations. The Federal High Court in Warri affirmed citizens' rights to record police officers in public, a judgment that resonates in a society increasingly using mobile phones for documentation.

Recently, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, the new President of the Nigerian Bar Association, met with Disu in Abuja, where he expressed concerns about the indiscriminate filming of police officers. Badejo-Okusanya acknowledged the need to differentiate between recording public duties and invading personal spaces, emphasizing that transparency should not equate to voyeurism.