Legal practitioner Inibehe Effiong has disagreed with Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, over his warning against Nigerians recording police officers for social media skits.
Effiong argued that the Nigeria Police Force itself could be regarded as a content-creating institution, pointing to the various platforms operated by the force to produce and share information.
The lawyer made the remarks on Friday during an interview with 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 clarified that his concern was not about citizens’ right to record police officers but about using policemen as sources of content for social media.
However, Effiong questioned what qualifies as content creation and whether the key consideration 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 meaning of content creation could also apply to the police, given the different 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.
According to him, the police operates social media platforms, a website and a radio station through which it produces and disseminates information.
“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.
The lawyer said it was therefore necessary for the police authorities to clarify exactly what the IGP meant by using police officers for content creation.
He questioned whether the warning was specifically aimed at skit makers, entertainers and pranksters who earn a living by producing humorous content online.
“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.
Effiong also questioned the police’s concerns about citizens recording officers while carrying out 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 of police officers being filmed while eating as part of his concerns about the practice.
Effiong, however, said he had not seen evidence suggesting 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 called on the police to provide examples to substantiate 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 have a constitutional right to record law enforcement officers while they are performing their statutory duties 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 is 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 covers the means through which information is shared, 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.
