Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong has criticised the Inspector-General of Police over warnings concerning citizens filming police officers while carrying out their duties.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, Effiong argued that the focus should be on police misconduct and accountability rather than citizens documenting encounters with officers.

According to him, Nigerians record police interactions because officers are expected to uphold a higher standard as law enforcement agents.

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“The reason why Nigerians take interest in recording such encounters is because a higher standard is expected of police officers who take it upon themselves to enforce the law.”

Effiong said public recording can expose misconduct and promote transparency within the police force.

“We cannot continue to work under an atmosphere of secrecy, be scared of transparency.”

The lawyer also criticised what he described as illegal profiling during stop-and-search operations.

Citing Section 54 of the Police Act 2020, Effiong said officers should not stop citizens based solely on their appearance, hairstyle, dressing or other personal characteristics.

“Section 54 of the Police Act 2020 excludes certain things from reasonable grounds and says you shall not stop a citizen… on the basis of his look, on the basis of his hairstyle, on the basis of his dressing, on the basis of appearance. But this is what policemen are doing on a daily basis.”

He alleged that some officers stereotype young people, particularly those driving expensive cars or wearing certain hairstyles and clothes.

“Where policemen will see a young man or a young lady driving a fancy, luxurious car, having braids, dressing in a particular way, and the first thing that comes to their mind is, ‘This is a Yahoo boy.’ They will stereotype the person, wrongly profile the person, and start demanding to search.”

Effiong further maintained that police officers have legal obligations when conducting searches, including identifying themselves and providing relevant identification.

Reacting to comparisons between citizens filming officers at checkpoints and recording officials in private offices, Effiong questioned the relevance of such comparisons.

“Do Nigerians go to the IGP’s office to record him while he is carrying out his functions? I haven’t seen people come to your office with mobile phones and start pointing their phones to record you.”

“So the IGP is speaking to an imaginary problem, the one he has created in his head.” he added

Effiong’s comments come amid renewed debate over the rights of Nigerians to record police officers during public encounters and the need to balance police operations with transparency and accountability.

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in partnership with Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) Limited and Geoplex Drillteq Limited, on Thursday in Port Harcourt graduated seven young Nigerian engineers and geologists in Directional Drilling and Evaluation Services (DD/MWD) and Electric Wireline Evaluation Services (EWL).

Biztellers reports that the trainees collectively received 18 international certifications from reputable European organisations for their training.

Under the contractual framework provided by SNEPCO, Directional Drilling and Evaluation exposed the trainees to jar maintenance, bottom-hole assembly components, measurement-while-drilling principles, formation integrity and leak-off test procedures. For Electric Wireline Services, they had hands-on training on wireline logging, cement evaluation, perforation operations, pressure-control equipment, and rig-up and rig-down activities.

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In a keynote address, the Director, Capacity Building Directorate (CBD) of the NCDMB, Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, represented by the Deputy Manager in the unit, Mr. Tareowei Bufazi, noted with satisfaction that the trainees had a detailed curriculum for the two programmes implemented concurrently under the SNEPCO contracts.

He described the classroom sessions of the programmes and the on-the-job training in live projects as rigorous, pointing out that trainees have been adequately prepared for major opportunities globally and Final Investment Decisions (FIDs) that are coming on stream.

He told the graduands that the knowledge, skills and certifications they have acquired should serve as “a foundation for continuous learning and professional growth,” and that they would be remembered for problems they are able to solve, standards they are able to uphold, and value they create.

“The world you are entering is competitive, demanding, and constantly evolving,” he explained, adding, “you have already proven that you can rise above challenges….Be courageous enough to seize opportunities and resilient enough to overcome setbacks.”

The CBD boss commended SNEPCO for their commitment to the successful implementation of the programme and for investing in the development of Nigerian talent. He also thanked Geoplex and Arewa Innovative Solutions for their respective roles.

Earlier in opening remarks, Mr. Kingsley Erhunmwunsee, of SNEPCO Limited, stated that his company treats local content as an investment in Nigeria’s future, and not just as a regulatory obligation. He emphasised that Nigeria’s oil and gas industry needs highly skilled people who can operate safely, solve complex problems, embrace new technologies and deliver world-class performance.

According to him, “Developing that capability within Nigeria strengthens not only individual careers, but also our companies and the Nigerian economy.” He expressed appreciation to the NCDMB for its sustained efforts in local content development and for the support it provided toward the successful implementation of the training programme.

The United States has delivered a fresh consignment of military equipment to the Nigerian Air Force as Washington and Abuja continue to deepen their security partnership in the fight against terrorism and other threats in the region.

The equipment was transported by a United States Air Force C-17 Globemaster III and delivered at locations in Lagos and Kainji, according to the United States Africa Command, AFRICOM.

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AFRICOM announced the delivery on Thursday, describing it as another demonstration of the growing defence cooperation between the United States and Nigeria.

“Partnership in action,” the command said, explaining that the equipment was supplied under a Foreign Military Sales agreement between both countries.

AFRICOM said the delivery would support Nigeria’s efforts to counter terrorism in the region and further strengthen the defence partnership between Washington and Abuja.

Images released through the US Department of Defense’s visual information platform, DVIDS, showed the C-17 aircraft and personnel involved in the offloading of the equipment in Lagos and Kainji.

However, AFRICOM has not disclosed the specific type, quantity or financial value of the military equipment delivered.

The command also emphasised that the support was provided at Nigeria’s invitation and was intended to strengthen Nigerian-led counterterrorism operations while respecting the country’s sovereignty.

US-Nigeria Security Cooperation

The latest delivery comes less than a month after senior Nigerian and US officials met in Washington to review the countries’ security partnership.

National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu led a Nigerian delegation to the second session of the Nigeria-US Joint Working Group on August 13.

The meeting focused on several security issues, including counterterrorism, intelligence sharing, terrorism financing, border security, protection of vulnerable communities, internally displaced persons and military-to-military cooperation.

Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the discussions were also aimed at reviewing the countries’ defence roadmap and determining the next phase of their security collaboration.

The latest military equipment delivery adds another layer to the expanding cooperation, particularly as Nigeria continues to battle terrorism and insurgency in parts of the country.

Expanding Counterterrorism Cooperation

US-Nigeria military cooperation has also expanded through joint counterterrorism efforts.

In May, AFRICOM, working with the Nigerian government, conducted an operation against ISIS targets in northeastern Nigeria. The operation killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom AFRICOM described as the group’s director of global operations, alongside other senior ISIS figures.

The US command subsequently carried out additional strikes against ISIS targets in northeastern Nigeria in coordination with Abuja.