Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu has urged Nigerians to stop recording police officers for entertainment skits, describing the practice as “very, very demoralising” during a meeting with Nigerian Bar Association President Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya in Abuja on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
Disu raised the concern as police and legal professionals discussed ways to prevent recurring tensions between lawyers and officers and improve relations between the two institutions.
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According to the Inspector-General, a recent court judgment concerning the recording of police officers prompted increased public interest in filming officers while they were carrying out their duties.
“The recent judgement on recording of police officers, that one really jolted our officers. And it became something of concern to us because the citizens started coming out with their phones to record police officers everywhere they saw them,” Disu said.
He said the practice had, in some cases, gone beyond documenting police activity in public spaces, with officers allegedly being filmed while eating at restaurants and in other private moments.
“Everywhere you see a police man, start recording a police man. So this is something that was very, very demoralising to us,” the IGP said.
Disu acknowledged that Nigerians have a right to record police officers while they are performing their duties in public. His concern, he explained, was the manner in which such footage is obtained and subsequently used.
“We are not saying they cannot exercise their rights of recording officers in the public places while doing their jobs,” he said.
“But they should put restraints and not turn our police officers to content for their skits or anything.”
The police chief also highlighted the demanding conditions faced by officers deployed to checkpoints and other difficult locations.
Disu said some officers work in isolated areas, including locations surrounded by forests and bushes, and remain on duty for long periods to protect members of the public.
“If you look at where we have our officers on checking points, there are dangerous areas thick in the forest, thick in the bushes, on the highways, middle of nowhere,” he said.
He added that officers could remain in such locations “morning and night”, stressing the challenges associated with frontline policing.
Badejo-Okusanya agreed that there was a distinction between recording officers performing official duties and invading their privacy.
“Policemen sitting down somewhere eating and people are recording them and intruding on their privacy,” she said.
However, the NBA president cautioned against allowing concerns over privacy to weaken legitimate public scrutiny of police conduct.
“We should not be afraid of being transparent in the lawful execution of our duties,” Badejo-Okusanya said.
She pointed to the use of body cameras by police officers in the United States as an example of how recording can strengthen accountability.
“When the US introduced body cams for police officers, it was in order to promote that so that you yourself, you have a check, you know that whatever you’re doing, you have a body camera that is recording it,” she said.
Badejo-Okusanya argued that greater transparency could help identify misconduct and ensure that officers who breach the law are properly sanctioned.
The discussion therefore highlighted a delicate balance between citizens’ rights to document public officials and officers‘ right to privacy when they are not performing official duties.
Rather than calling for an outright ban on recording police officers, the NBA president advocated clearer boundaries governing when and how members of the public can film officers.
“We just need to understand the limits,” she said, suggesting that existing laws could be strengthened or more clearly interpreted to prevent abuse.
The meeting reflects wider efforts by the police and legal profession to improve cooperation and reduce friction between officers and lawyers.
Badejo-Okusanya said both groups have a shared responsibility to promote public safety and respect for the rule of law.
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“We are partners in the same quest to ensure that we have a safe and vibrant society that respects the rule of law,” she said.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
