The Edo State Police Command has restated its prohibition on officers searching individuals’ phones during routine patrols and other operations, citing it as an act of “unprofessional conduct.”
According to a statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, published on the command’s official Facebook page on Friday, the State’s Commissioner of Police, CP Funsho Adegboye, warned officers to refrain from such behavior. CP Adegboye emphasized that the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has directed the punishment of any officer found guilty of this offense.
In the statement, CP Adegboye asserted, “This press release aims to inform the law-abiding citizens of Edo State about the stance of the state police command regarding the searching of citizens’ phones by officers during routine patrols, stop and search duties, and other essential responsibilities.”
During a meeting with the command’s strategic security managers, CP Adegboye reiterated the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, regarding the ban on searching citizens’ phones while on patrol, conducting raids, stop and search duties, or other essential duties.
“He warned that police officers and operatives should never engage in searching citizens’ phones while performing their duties,” the statement read.
The statement further clarified that officers should only search citizens’ phones when executing a court order from a competent jurisdiction, granting them the authority to do so as part of an ongoing investigation.
CP Adegboye cautioned all officers and personnel to refrain from engaging in “this unprofessional conduct of searching phones” and stated that severe sanctions would be imposed on any officer caught doing so. He also urged the public to exercise patience and report any officer found indulging in such unprofessional behavior.
In a related development, it was previously reported in January that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fayoade Adegoke, emphasized that no police officer is permitted to search the phones of Nigerian citizens.