Nigerians have right to film police on duty, lawyer counters IG warning - Punch Newspapers

Legal practitioner, Inibehe Effiong, has disagreed with the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, over the latter’s warning against Nigerians recording police officers for social media skits. Effiong argued that the Nigeria Police Force itself was a content-creating institution, noting that it operated various platforms through which it produced and disseminated information. The lawyer stated this on Friday during an interview on Channels Television. Disu had warned Nigerians against recording police officers for skits, describing the practice as “very, very demoralising” to members of the force. The IGP said his concern was not about citizens’ right to record police officers but about turning policemen into sources of content for social media. Reacting, Effiong questioned what should constitute content creation and whether the determining factor should be financial gain or public enlightenment. He said, “What is content creation? Is it materials generated and disseminated or published or circulated for revenue generation? Or is it simply posting information for public enlightenment? “What is the determining factor? Is it the quest for financial gain or public enlightenment? And who is the content creator?” Effiong said the broad definition of content creation could also apply to the police, given the various platforms operated by the force. “Because if you examine the phrase content creator and content creation broadly, one can say that even the police itself is a content-creating institution,” he said. File Photo: Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu. He noted that the police operated social media handles, a website and a radio station through which content was produced and disseminated. “The reason is that the police owns and operates different platforms through which contents are created and disseminated, including the police social media handles, the website of the police, and other platforms, and even the police radio,” he said. Effiong said it was therefore important to clarify what the IGP meant when he spoke about police officers being used for content creation. He asked whether the warning was specifically directed at skit makers, entertainers and pranksters who make a living from producing humorous content online. Nigeria must spend more on peace, says IPCR DG Morning recap: China dominates Nigeria’s imports, Obi rejects Atiku step-down call, other top stories Police arrest woman over sexual abuse of minor, rescue four children “So when the IG speaks about using policemen for content creation, it is important for us to be cautious. Is it referring to skit makers, entertainers or pranksters who are individuals who make a career or make a living from making comical contents and reproducing them online to generate traffic as a source of living?” he asked. The lawyer also questioned the police’s concern about citizens recording officers while they were performing their duties. “The question is, why is the police constantly fidgeting over the recording of their officers in the course of their duties?” he asked. Disu had cited instances where police officers were being filmed while eating as part of his concern over the practice. Effiong, however, said he had not seen evidence that such filming was widespread on social media. “He cited an instance where he said police officers would be eating and people would be filming them. I haven’t seen that being a practice that is rampant on social media,” he said. He urged the police to provide examples to support the concern raised by the IGP. “So I would be happy if the police can cite some instances to portray the fact that the IG has referenced,” Effiong said. The lawyer maintained that Nigerians had a constitutional right to record law enforcement officers while they were carrying out their statutory responsibilities in public. “But speaking generally, Nigerians have the right, unmistakably, to record incidents. Not just the police, but law enforcement officers generally, in the course of discharging their statutory responsibility,” he said. Effiong said the right was protected under Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression. “That freedom includes the freedom to disseminate and propagate ideas and information,” he said. He added that the constitutional protection also extended to the mediums through which information was disseminated, including mobile phones and other electronic devices. “Within the current constitutional framework, the right of the Nigerian people, the right of every person to record officers in public places usually, while exercising public responsibilities is important,” he said. Fawzi Kehinde Fawzi is a journalist and subeditor covering a wide range of beats including politics, metro, and international news, among others. He also optimises stories for digital audiences.

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