- FCT Police Commissioner Ahmed Sanusi has reaffirmed the Inspector-General of Police’s directive prohibiting officers from conducting random or roadside phone searches during stop-and-search operations.
- The CP advised residents, particularly youths, to refuse roadside phone search demands and seek immediate assistance via police emergency lines.
- Sanusi clarified that mobile phones can only be lawfully examined as digital evidence after a suspect has been formally arrested and brought to a police station.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of the Federal Capital Territory, CP Ahmed Sanusi, has called on residents, especially youths, to resist attempts by police personnel to search their mobile phones during routine stop-and-search operations, emphasizing that such acts violate official force policy.
Eko Hot Blog reports that speaking during a press conference shared by News Central Television, Sanusi stated that the ban on indiscriminate phone searches was instituted by the Inspector-General of Police to curb widespread extortion and abuse of power by rogue officers.
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He emphasized that roadside demands to view digital devices or examine banking applications remain strictly prohibited across the command.
The Police Commissioner explained that while mobile devices are sometimes used in criminal activities, standard procedure dictates that an individual must first be formally arrested for a specific offense and taken to a police station before any forensic inspection of their phone can lawfully occur.
CP Sanusi advised members of the public confronted by officers demanding phone access to remain calm, refuse the request, and immediately contact the police emergency landlines or request intervention from nearby citizens.
He assured that any officer caught defying the Inspector-General’s directive within the FCT would face severe disciplinary actions and prosecution.
