Nigerian Court Affirms Citizen Right to Record Police

A Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, ruled on Tuesday that Nigerians have a constitutional right to record police officers performing their duties in public spaces, mandating that officers display visible identification and refrain from interfering with such documentation.

Justice H. A. Nganjiwa delivered the judgment in a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by lawyer Maxwell Nosakhare Uwaifo, marked FHCWRCS872025. The case named as respondents the Inspector General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, the Police Service Commission, and the Attorney General of the Federation. Uwaifo sought declarations affirming citizens' freedoms under sections 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41 of the 1999 Constitution, as well as relevant provisions of the Police Act 2020 and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.

The suit arose from an incident on May 10, 2025, when Uwaifo was traveling from Benin to Warri and was stopped by officers at the Sapele Roundabout. According to his affidavit, the officers, dressed in black and operating from an unmarked black Toyota Sienna without license plates or police insignia, questioned him aggressively without stating a reason. When...