Court Declares Nigerians Have Right to Record Police, Orders Identification of Officers
- The Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta state, has affirmed Nigerians' right to record police activities in public
- In a ruling sighted by Legit.ng, Justice Nganjiwa mandated visible identification for all police officers during duty
- Legit.ng notes that this is a landmark ruling that holds police officers accountable for all their actions while on duty
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Warri, Delta state - The Federal High Court, Warri Division in Delta State, has made far-reaching pronouncements on police accountability and citizens’ constitutional rights.
Honourable Justice H. A. Nganjiwa declared that Nigerians have the constitutional right to record police officers performing their duties in public.
Source: Facebook
The presiding judge ruled that police officers must wear visible name tags and display force numbers or proper identification.
The court delivered the landmark judgement on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in the suit No: FHC/WR/CS/87/2025 (Maxwell N. Uwaifo v. Inspector-General of Police & 3 Ors).
According to the judgment, it is unlawful for police officers to harass, intimidate, arrest, or seize devices from citizens for recording them.
Justice Nganjiwa ruled that anonymous policing is unconstitutional.
The judgment has significant implications for policing standards, civil liberties, and public accountability across Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement issued and made available to Legit.ng by Barrister Maxwell N. Uwaifo, who is the counsel to the applicant.
In the originating summons, the applicant asked the court to determine whether citizens can lawfully record police officers and whether harassment or arrest for such actions amounts to a violation of fundamental rights.
Uwaifo said the Court granted all the reliefs sought, including:
₦5,000,000 damages for violation of fundamental rights and ₦2,000,000 cost of litigation.
Source: Original
Police say Nigerians can take pictures of officers
Legit.ng recalls that Nigerians were told that they have the fundamental right to make videos and take pictures of police officers on duty.
The then-national spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, revealed this on social media while replying to a netizen.
He stated that every police officer in the country is aware of the stipulated guidelines of the right of citizens to capture them on duty.
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2 Police applicants arrested over certificate fraud
In another development, Legit.ng reported that the arrest of two police applicants was announced over alleged certificate forgery during recruitment screening at Police Training School, Bauchi.
Oversaw the verification of 403 candidates, where two suspects were found with forged NECO results.
Handed the suspects, both identified as Yusuf Usman, to the Divisional Police Officer of ‘E’ Division for further investigation.
Source: Legit.ng
