Edo State’s Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye, has issued a directive prohibiting police operatives in the state from conducting searches on citizens’ phones.
This decision was communicated by the police spokesperson in the state, Chidi Nwabuzor, through a statement posted on the command’s official handle on Thursday.
“Commissioner of Police, Edo State warns officers and men to desist from this act, as the inspector general of police directs Zonal AIGs, Command, and Formation CPs to monitor their personnel,” Mr Nwabuzor.
The ban imposed by the police in Edo State comes shortly after a similar directive was issued by the police commissioner in Lagos State less than two months ago.
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Despite repeated warnings by police authorities against such actions, incidents of operatives breaching the privacy of Nigerians by searching their phones have continued to rise.
Over a year ago, the Force spokesperson, Olumyiwa Adejobi, had cautioned operatives against engaging in such acts.
“Stop checking phones on the road. You can’t check somebody’s phone. It is his personal property. You cannot do it,” Mr Adejobi had said in an interview with Channels Television.
Mr Adejobi, an assistant police commissioner, had said all the operatives are aware that searching a citizen’s phone is against the law.
“In the police, we have those who are deviant. No police officer doesn’t know that you must not dress improperly, you must not smoke while on duty, you must not slap a Nigerian and you must not use a cutlass to flog.
“There is no Nigerian police personnel who will tell me today that they are not aware because, in the training school, it’s part of the force manual; they must have taught you all these things,” he said in 2022.
He said any operative who has done something wrong – disciplinary offense or criminal offense has its punishment – either dismissal, reduction in rank or severe reprimand.
But despite the repeated warnings by the authorities, reported cases of phone searches by operatives have been on the rise.