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Court affirms Nigerians’ right to film police during stop-and-search operations.
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₦5m damages awarded over rights violation, plus ₦2m legal costs.
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Police must wear identification, court rules, banning harassment of citizens recording officers.
A Federal High Court sitting in Delta State has affirmed the constitutional right of Nigerians to record police officers while carrying out stop-and-search duties in public spaces.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa held that law enforcement officers must wear visible identification, including name tags and force numbers, during public operations.
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The court also ruled that citizens are legally permitted to document police activities and declared it unlawful for officers to harass, intimidate, arrest, or seize devices from individuals recording them.
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The suit was filed by lawyer Maxwell Nosakhare Uwaifo, following an encounter with police officers at Sapele Roundabout on May 10, 2025. Uwaifo alleged that the officers, who operated without identification and from an unmarked vehicle, threatened him when he attempted to film the interaction.
Describing the incident as intimidating, he told the court that he was prevented from documenting the encounter due to fear of arrest or assault.
In its ruling, the court awarded ₦5 million in damages for the violation of his fundamental rights and an additional ₦2 million as litigation costs.
The respondents in the suit included the Inspector-General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, the Police Service Commission, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Legal analysts say the judgment marks a significant step towards strengthening police accountability and protecting citizens’ constitutional rights in Nigeria.
