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…Officers must wear name tags and service numbers
…Stop harassment and device confiscation
Daud Olatunji
The Federal High Court in Warri has said Nigerians have the constitutional right to record police officers carrying out their duties in public.
Delivering the ruling in case number FHC/WR/CS/87/2025 on Tuesday, Justice HA Nganjiwa said no law prohibits citizens from filming law enforcement officers during public operations.
The court also ruled that officers of the Nigeria Police Force must not intimidate, harass, arrest or confiscate devices from anyone recording their actions.
The court also ruled that all officers must wear clearly visible name tags and display their force numbers, especially during stop-and-search operations and at checkpoints.
The appellant, Maxwell Uwaifo, was awarded 5 million naira for violation of his fundamental rights and another 2 million naira to cover litigation costs.
He filed the case as a public interest litigation against the Inspector General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, the Police Service Commission and the Attorney General of the Federation.
Uwaifo challenged the legality of the stop and search operations carried out by officers who refused to identify themselves.
He argued that attempts to prevent citizens from filming, through threats, harassment or confiscation of devices, violate section 39 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.
He also called for a perpetual injunction preventing security agencies from intimidating or arresting Nigerians who record police activities in public.
Judge Nganjiwa granted all the relief requested, stressing that “anonymous policing” – where officers operate with muftis or incomplete uniforms – is unconstitutional and promotes impunity.
Uwaifo, reacting to the ruling, described it as “far-reaching”, stressing that it strengthens transparency, civil liberties and accountability in policing.
Court documents indicate the case stems from repeated encounters in which officers allegedly blocked, threatened and attempted to intimidate him and others while recording public policing activities, including a May 2025 incident between Benin and Warri.
Legal analysts say the ruling is in line with the Police Act, 2020, which requires officers to show proper identification and reiterates previous police statements confirming that recording officers on duty is legal.
The ruling comes amid continued public concern over police misconduct, particularly during stop-and-search operations, a legacy of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad, whose abuses sparked the nationwide #EndSARS protests in 2020.
Experts believe the ruling could serve as a legal landmark in enforcing accountability and restoring public trust in law enforcement across Nigeria.
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