Posted by In what they call “unprofessional conduct,” the Edo State Police Command has reaffirmed its prohibition on officers examining phones while on normal patrol or conducting other operations.
Chidi Nwabuzor, a spokesman for the command, made the announcement on Friday.
Public safety officials in Edo State have issued a statement clarifying their stance on the practice of conducting random phone searches by operatives conducting routine patrols and stop-and-search operations.
“In a meeting with the Command’s strategic security managers, the Commissioner of Police Edo State, CP Funsho Adegboye, reiterated the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, regarding the prohibition of searching citizens’ phones while on Patrol, Raid Operations, Stop and Search duties, or other essential duties,” the statement read. He made it clear that police officers and operatives should never check citizens’ phones while on the job.
Officers can only search citizens’ phones when they have a court order from a competent jurisdiction, according to the CP, who has experience in various capacities at the UN Missions in Kosovo, Liberia, East Timor, and Somalia. This gives them the authority to conduct searches during investigations. Nevertheless, he strongly cautions both officers and men against engaging in the unethical practice of examining cellphones, threatening serious consequences for any officer found guilty, according to the statement.
Thus, he pleaded with the people to have patience with law enforcement and to report any officer’s unprofessional behavior to the following numbers: 07037376464, 08140275108, 08033726625, and 08164523045.