The Federal High Court in Warri has ruled that Nigerians have the constitutional right to record police officers performing their duties in public, in a judgment widely seen as strengthening accountability and civil liberties.
Delivering the decision on Tuesday in suit No. FHC/WRCS/87/2025, Justice H. A. Nganjiwa held that police officers must wear visible name tags, display their force numbers, and must not harass, intimidate, arrest, or seize devices from citizens documenting their activities.
The court also awarded the applicant, Maxwell Uwaifo, N5 million in damages for the violation of his fundamental rights, along with N2 million as litigation costs.
All the reliefs sought by the applicant were granted, reinforcing the right of citizens to record police conduct in public spaces without fear of reprisal.
Reacting to the ruling, Uwaifo described it as far-reaching.
“This judgement has significant implications for policing standards, civil liberties and public accountability across Nigeria,” he said.
“The court made far-reaching pronouncements on police accountability and citizens’ constitutional rights.”
The case, filed as a public interest litigation, challenged the legality of police stop-and-search operations conducted without proper identification.
Respondents included the Nigeria Police Force, the Police Service Commission, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Filed under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009, the suit cited multiple provisions of the 1999 Constitution — including Sections 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, and 46 — as well as relevant articles of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The applicant asked the courvt to determine whether citizens could lawfully record police officers and whether harassment or arrest for doing so constitutes a violation of fundamental rights.
