The Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ahmed Sanusi, has warned Nigerians, particularly young people, not to allow police officers to search their mobile phones merely because they are suspected of engaging in internet fraud, popularly known as “Yahoo Yahoo.”
The police commissioner said indiscriminate phone searches by officers on the road violate the directive of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), stressing that phones can only be searched after a lawful arrest and during the course of a criminal investigation.
Speaking in a video seen by SaharaReporters, the commissioner acknowledged that some police officers and personnel of other security agencies had abused their powers by conducting arbitrary phone searches.
“The issue of phones, searching of phones, you see, it has been clearly stated that, of course, due to the abuse and the stunted tendencies of some officers and men, of not only the policemen, but even other assistant agencies, it has been instructed that nobody should search any phones, especially when you just arrest somebody on the road… because you are suspecting the person to be a Yahoo Yahoo or something,” he said.
He, however, noted that the directive does not mean mobile phones cannot be used as evidence in criminal investigations.
“This does not negate the fact that phones are also being used to commit crime. But of course, before searching can happen, the person must have committed the crime, must have been properly arrested, brought to the station.
“Then, when trying to uncover some evidence, you can now start searching to see whether the phones or other items are being used to commit or perpetrate such crime,” he added.
The commissioner warned members of the public against surrendering their phones to officers who stop them on the road without lawful justification.
But for you to just stop anybody on the road and say, ‘Let me bring your phone, let me search,’ that’s not right,” he said.
He urged residents of the FCT to refuse such requests and immediately report offending officers through the police emergency lines.
“If any policeman stops you on the road, according to the instructions of the Inspector-General of Police, which we are bound to obey, don’t open your phones. Resist, ask the nearby people to help you call the police emergency line. You will see our men there, and then we will ask them why, provided they are within the FCT.”
He added that persons outside the Federal Capital Territory should report such incidents to the command control centres in their respective states.
The police commissioner also vowed that officers who violate the directive would face disciplinary measures.
“I can tell you for free that we are still against that, we still stand against that, we will still enforce the IG’s directive.
“Some of them are on the take because they are criminally minded; they want to perpetrate such acts. If we get them, they will face disciplinary actions and will be made to face the consequences,” he said.
The latest warning comes amid repeated complaints by Nigerians, especially young people, over alleged harassment, extortion and arbitrary phone searches by some police officers and other security operatives despite repeated directives by the Inspector-General of Police prohibiting the practice.
