18/03/2026
Court affirms Nigerians the right to film police officers in public.
The Federal High Court Nigeria sitting in Warri, Delta State, has delivered a landmark ruling affirming that Nigerians have the constitutional right to record police officers performing their duties in public.
In the judgement delivered by Justice H. A. Nganjiwa, the court declared that officers must wear visible name tags and display their force numbers while on duty. It also ruled that police have no right to harass, intimidate, arrest, or seize devices from citizens recording them.
The court awarded ₦5 million in damages and an additional ₦2 million as litigation costs to the applicant, Maxwell Uwaifo, for the violation of his fundamental rights.
The suit, filed as a public interest case, challenged unlawful stop-and-search operations and the conduct of officers who allegedly operated without proper identification.
The respondents in the case included the Nigeria Police Force, the Police Service Commission, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The court upheld all the applicant’s requests, declaring that citizens have the right to document police activities under freedom of expression, and that any attempt to prevent such recording is unconstitutional.
It also ordered that officers must properly identify themselves during operations, reinforcing accountability and transparency in policing.
The ruling comes amid longstanding concerns over police misconduct in Nigeria, particularly following the disbandment of the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) after the protests.
This decision is expected to strengthen civil liberties and set a new standard for police-citizen interactions across the country.