The Complaint Response Unit (CRU) of the Nigeria Police Force says a recent court ruling affirming citizens’ right to film police officers during duty will enhance public trust and improve transparency in policing.
The Head of CRU, Anietie Iniedu, a Chief Superintendent of Police, stated this in a post on LinkedIn on Monday.
The Nigeria Police says a court ruling protecting citizens who film officers will strengthen accountability mechanisms.
In March, a Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, ruled that Nigerians have the constitutional right to record police officers carrying out their duties in public.
In the judgement delivered by Justice H. A. Nganjiwa, the court held that officers must wear visible name tags, display their force numbers, and must not harass, intimidate, arrest, or confiscate devices from citizens recording their actions.
The ruling followed a public interest suit filed by Maxwell Uwaifo, who challenged the legality of stop-and-search operations conducted without officers displaying proper identification. The court awarded him N5 million in damages for violation of his fundamental rights and an additional N2 million for litigation costs.
Iniedu said the judgement would significantly strengthen accountability within the police system.
“By awarding N5 million damages for unlawful stop-and-search operations, the Federal High Court established that transparency is a constitutional right, not a privilege”, he said.
He described the ruling as “transformative,” noting that video recordings reduce reliance on secondary accounts and enable faster, evidence-based investigations.
According to him, the CRU, operating as the police internal oversight mechanism across all 36 states and the FCT, now has stronger judicial backing to treat video evidence as valid complaint documentation.
“This shifts the CRU from reactive complaint-handling to proactive accountability facilitation.
“The CRU must lead transformation through mandatory training, consequence certainty for violations, and public awareness campaigns”, he added.
Iniedu further stressed that the requirement for officers to display name tags and force numbers would help curb anonymous abuse of power.
He added that with support from international partners, including UNODC and U.S.-backed initiatives, the CRU is expanding its capacity to enforce accountability mechanisms.
“The CRU must now operationalise transparency to build the professional, accountable police force Nigerians deserve”, he stated.
He added that the ruling was not just a legal victory but an institutional mandate for reform.
