Landmark Ruling: Nigerians Free to Record Police During Stop-and-Search as Court Bans Anonymous Policing and Awards N7m Damages
In a landmark judgment delivered on Tuesday, the Federal High Court in Warri has affirmed that every Nigerian has the constitutional right to record, photograph, or document police officers performing their duties in public spaces — including during stop-and-search operations. Justice Hyeladzira A. Nganjiwa, in suit No. FHC/WR/CS/87/2025, granted all the reliefs sought by lawyer Maxwell Nosakhare Uwaifo, who 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. The court declared that any attempt by police officers to harass, intimidate, arrest, or seize recording devices from citizens who film them on duty is unlawful and unconstitutional. It further held that police officers must wear visible name tags and display their force numbers at all times while on public duty, describing anonymous policing as illegal. “Police officers must wear visible n...