Warri Court Affirms Nigerians’ Right to Record Police During Stop-and-Search

A Federal High Court in Warri has ruled that Nigerians may film police officers during stop-and-search operations in public. The judgment came on March 17 after lawyer Maxwell Uwaifo challenged the constitutionality of unmarked checkpoints and officers without visible name tags or force numbers. Uwaifo’s suit arose from an incident on May 10, 2025, when he was stopped in an unmarked Toyota Sienna. He said the officers behaved aggressively, refused to identify themselves, and threatened him for trying to record the interaction. The court ordered that all officers on public duty must display name tags and force numbers. It held that seizing devices, arresting, intimidating, or threatening citizens for recording is unlawful. The judge awarded N5 million in damages and N2 million for legal costs, and directed relevant agencies to issue training guidelines and enforce disciplinary measures.

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