Social Media Recording of Police Officers:The Need for Responsible Reporting.The growing practice of social media influencers filming police officers during stop-and-search operations, and in some cases while officers are simply going about their personal lives, has raised important questions about accountability, privacy, and the proper conduct of police-public interactions.The Inspector-General of Police’s position should not be misread as an attempt to shield erring officers from accountability, and it is not a directive against recording police misconduct. The IGP has never said that officers who act wrongly should not be recorded or reported. What is being called for is responsible engagement. Officers performing their lawful duties should be able to do so without unnecessary provocation, obstruction, or having every encounter turned into content for views and engagement.Where an officer is believed to have acted improperly, the appropriate response remains the same: preserve the evidence and report the matter through the proper channel. The Nigeria Police Force has a Police Complaint Response Unit (PCRU) where complaints against officers can be lodged, and where videos and other evidence can be submitted for investigation and appropriate action.Social media exposure should complement, not substitute for, formal investigation. A short video clip may not always capture the full context of an incident: what led up to it, what was said off-camera, or what followed. Yet once published, it can quickly shape public judgment against an individual officer or the Force as a whole, before the facts are established.Like any large institution, the Police Force has its share of bad actors, and their conduct should never be excused. However, the repeated recording and circulation of the misconduct of a few can create a distorted impression that such behaviour defines the entire Nigeria Police Force. This does little to serve genuine accountability, and it can also affect how Nigeria is perceived internationally.