‘No Police Officer Has the Right to Search Your Phone’ — FCT Commissioner of Police

The Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, has warned Nigerians not to allow police officers to search their mobile phones during routine stop-and-search operations, saying the practice is illegal and has been abused by some officers for harassment and extortion.

Speaking during an engagement with youths in Abuja, Sanusi said:

“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 has the right to search your phone.”

He explained that police officers cannot stop people on the road and demand access to their phones simply because they suspect them of internet fraud or any other offence.

“It has been instructed that nobody should search any phone. But for you to just stop anybody on the road and say, ‘Bring your phone, let me search,’ is not legal.”

The commissioner clarified that phones may only be examined as part of a lawful criminal investigation after a suspect has been properly arrested and due process is followed at a police station.

He urged residents to know their rights, reject unlawful phone searches, and report any officer involved in harassment or extortion, reaffirming the FCT Police Command’s commitment to professionalism and accountability.