Giving power to the people, is one thing that makes a society grow. It kills corruption and ensures equity for all. This is what a court has done, giving Nigerians the power to film police while arresting anyone.
Indeed, police brutality thrives in places where police hinder people from filming and posting acts of intimidation.
All of that will end soon.
Many Nigerians continue to face the aggression of the police on a daily basis, and some of them record police assault and arrest for evidence.
Free To Do So
This move often annoys policemen, forcing them to smash the phones or arrest the person recording.
A court has now ruled that the police has no right to stop anyone from filming arrests, and people are free to do so.
On Friday, an Edo State Magistrate Court struck out a charge against a Nigerian for riding a tricycle in a Government Reserved Area (GRA) and another charge against another person for videoing a police arrest.
The operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, New Etete Division on July 26, 2022, arrested one Brighton Odion, a tricycle rider.
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The police caught Odion riding along Limit Road, off Sapele Road in Benin City, where government prohibits riding of tricycles.
The police accused him of violating the governor’s order on riding in a restricted area and subsequently charged him when he refused to bribe them.
While Odion was having altercation with the police, Mr Vision Nelson was playing the role of a paparazzi, capturing everything on camera.
The police saw him and arrested him for taking pictures of Odion’s arrest.
He was charged alongside Odion for being an unregistered photographer and unlicensed journalist and for using his Android phone to record the arrest.
The Judgement
Delivering judgment on Thursday, the court ruled in favour of the accused and consequently struck out the charges against the duo.
The Chief Magistrate in Evbuoriaria Magistrate Court 5, Sapele Road, Benin City, held in his ruling in the case between NPF and EDOCSO that “videoing or recording in a public place is not an offence, citizens have rights to do recordings anywhere, anytime”.
The magistrate also held that there is no law in Edo State banning or restricting the movement of tricycles (keke) from major roads or streets.
“Tricycles can move from one point to another without any form of restriction,” the court said.
The court in striking out the charges, held that the case lacks merit.
According to the court, the police were unable to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
If you want to record a police in Nigeria, please apply apply caution.
