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 and identification number on his uniform.
The footage, shared on X by social media influencer @ChuksEricE and seen by ChroniclesReporters on Thursday, captured the driver demanding that the officers identify themselves before he complied with their instructions.
The confrontation began when an officer, pointing a torchlight at the vehicle, ordered the driver to wind down his rear window. The driver, however, questioned the officer’s identity.
“Where’s your batch number? I am not seeing it, I am not seeing any name tag,” the driver said.
The officer challenged the driver’s response and asked him to follow the team to a police station to prove his claim that officers without proper identification should not conduct stop-and-search operations.
The motorist, however, questioned how he could establish the officer’s identity without a name tag or identification number.
“Which police station? You don’t have a name and batch number. How will I know that you are a police officer?” he asked.
The driver cited what he described as a directive from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) requiring officers conducting stop-and-search operations to display their names and identification numbers.
“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 subsequently challenged him to prove the directive and directed him to lodge a complaint with the appropriate police authorities.
Another officer later intervened, introducing the team as a tactical squad operating undercover.
“Let me explain to you, we are tactical, we are Decoy. We are here for a purpose,” the officer said.
He also asked whether the driver was recording the encounter.
“Yes, I am recording the incident. Of course, you should know,” the motorist replied.
Despite the explanation, the driver insisted that police officers must display identification, citing security concerns and the possibility of criminals impersonating security personnel.
“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 contribute to improving the country, asking, “Person like you go make the country better?”
The motorist maintained that wearing a dark uniform and carrying a firearm were insufficient proof of police identity.
“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 challenged the driver, asking whether he 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 subsequently asked why the motorist was questioning him, arguing that he was working to protect the public.
The driver maintained that his questions were necessary because the man claimed to be a police officer.
“Because you are saying that you are an officer,” he said.
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.”
The video has sparked reactions online, with some viewers criticising the officer’s responses and calling for greater accountability within the Nigeria Police Force.
The incident has also renewed discussions about police identification during stop-and-search operations, particularly amid concerns that criminals could impersonate security personnel.
Although the driver insisted that the Inspector-General of Police had directed officers to display their names and identification numbers during such operations, the footage does not independently establish the precise terms of the directive he cited.