‘ Can You Question Bandits?’: Nigerian Policeman Asks Driver Who Demanded Name Tag, Identification Number

 

The confrontation began when an officer, pointing a torchlight at the vehicle, ordered the driver to wind down the window. The driver, however, questioned the instruction and asked the officer to identify himself.

A video showing a confrontation between a Nigerian motorist and police officers during a stop-and-search operation has surfaced online after the driver challenged an officer over the absence of a name tag or identification number on his uniform.

In the video shared on X by social media influencer @ChuksEricE and seen by SaharaReporters on Thursday, the driver was stopped by officers of the Nigeria Police Force, who demanded that he wind down his rear window.

The confrontation began when an officer, pointing a torchlight at the vehicle, ordered the driver to wind down the window. The driver, however, questioned the instruction and asked the officer to identify himself.

“Wind down, let me see what you have there,” the officer said.

The driver asked, “What is your name?”

“My name?” the officer retorted.

“Yes. Where’s your batch number? I am not seeing it, I am not seeing any name tag,” the driver said.

The officer responded, “You are not seeing it? Are you the only person to pass here?”

The driver then cited what he described as a directive from the Inspector-General of Police requiring officers conducting stop-and-search operations to wear proper identification.

“That is it. It was the directive of the IG that no officer that is without name and batch number should do stop and search,” he said.

The officer replied, “Ehehe? Ok you will follow me to the office and come and prove it.”

When the driver asked which office he meant, the officer said, “Police station.”

“Which police station? You don’t have a name and batch number. How will I know that you are a police officer?” the driver asked.

The officer told him, “You know where to go and complain.”

The driver responded, “I am not complaining to you. Any person can impersonate to be an officer.”

The officer challenged him, asking, “So am I now impersonating an officer?”

The driver maintained that he could not verify the officer’s identity from his appearance.

“I don’t know you. You can’t wear black and black and tell me I am an officer.”

Another officer subsequently intervened, greeted the driver and explained that they were “Decoy” and “we are tactical squad.” He also asked whether the driver was recording the encounter.

“Yes, I am recording the incident. Of course, you should know,” the driver replied.

The first officer reiterated, “That is why I said you should go to police complaint unit.”

The other officer attempted to explain their presence, saying, “Let me explain to you, we are tactical, we are Decoy. We are here for a purpose.”

The driver insisted that officers need to display identification, citing concerns about insecurity and impersonation.

“The thing is that you have to have an ID. The country is not safe. I just want to make the world easy,” he said.

The first officer questioned whether the driver’s actions would help the country, asking, “Person like you go make the country better?”

The driver replied that the officers’ uniforms and weapons were not enough to establish their identities.

“You on the black and black, you are with a gun. I should not be scared of you. Anybody can impersonate,” he said.

The officer then asked whether the driver would question armed robbers or bandits in the same way.

“If you see an armed robber, can you question an armed robber? Or can you question bandits? Can you question armed robber?” the officer asked.

“I can’t,” the driver replied.

The officer asked, “Why are you now questioning me?”

The driver answered, “Because you are saying that you are an officer.”

The officer argued that he was working to protect the public, asking, “Me that’s working for your safety, why are you questioning me?”

The driver repeated, “I am questioning you because you said you are an officer.”

When the officer asked whether he did not recognise him as a police officer, the driver replied, “I don’t know. You are the one saying it here.”

He also insisted that he would not stop for bandits.

“I will not stop for them,” he said.

The confrontation has drawn attention to concerns over police identification and accountability during stop-and-search operations, particularly amid fears that criminals could impersonate security personnel.

The driver insisted that the Inspector-General of Police had directed officers conducting stop-and-search operations to display their names and identification numbers before carrying out such duties.

The footage has sparked reactions online, with some viewers criticising the officer’s responses and calling for greater accountability in the Nigeria Police Force.

SOURCE: SAHARA REPORTERS