The Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, has advised Nigerians not to allow police officers to carry out indiscriminate searches of their mobile phones.
Speaking during an engagement with young people in Abuja, Sanusi said police officers have no legal authority to conduct random searches of citizens’ phones, explaining that the directive became necessary due to the misconduct of some officers.
He urged residents to politely refuse any unlawful request to search their phones and encouraged victims of harassment, extortion or other forms of misconduct to report such incidents to the nearest police station or through the FCT Police Command’s complaint channels.
“Don’t allow any police officers to search your phone and we’re saying this due to the abuse and extortive tendencies of some of our officers.
“It has been instructed that nobody should search any phone, especially when you just arrest somebody on the road and you start searching the person’s phone, suspecting that he is an internet fraudster.
This does not negate the fact that phones are also being used to commit crime. But of course, before such a thing can happen, the person must have committed the crime, must have been properly arrested and brought to the station, then when trying to uncover some evidence, you can search to see whether the phone or other items are being used to perpetuate the crime.
“But for you to just stop anybody on the road and say bring your phone, let me search, is not legal.
“If any policeman stops you on the road, according to the instructions of the Inspector-General of Police, which we are bound to obey to the last of it, don’t open your phone, resist and ask other people to help you call the police. You will see our men there,” he said.
Watch video below …
“Don’t Allow Any Police Officers To Search Your Phone and we’re saying this due to the abuse and extortive tendencies of some of our officers. No police officer have the right to search your phone”
– FCT Commissioner Of Police Charge Nigeria Youths pic.twitter.com/wPh2nwVRbO
— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) July 20, 2026
