We are watching them as they post: a mirror into the Nigerian Police Force use of social media and challenges affecting its adoption in policing
Ngozi Eje Uduma, Chinedu Jude Nwasum, Ezinne Chioma Abaneme, Enuma Ituma · Police Practice and Research · 2020
Most available studies on the police use of social media and challenges focus on developed countries. This research aims to better understand how the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) use social media and the challenges to the adoption of social media for policing in Nigeria. Our research answers the following questions: how does the NPF use social media? And what challenges hinder the adoption of social media for policing? We relied on in-depth interviews of forty-five police officers and findings show that NPF uses social media for surveillance and intelligence gathering, community engagement, and image making, and the force is faced with financial constraints, untrained personnel, and preponderance of online fake information, privacy issue and leaking of ongoing investigation as challenges. We argue that for the NPF to effectively use social media there is urgent need to address the challenges raised by the officers.