Court Halts Tinted Glass Policy, Orders Police To Maintain Status Quo
By Sunday Etuka, Abuja
The Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State has halted the enforcement of tinted glass permit policy, and ordered the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to maintain the status quo.
The order was given Friday in Suit No. FHC/WR/CS/103/2025, filed by lawyer, John Aikpokpo-Martins, against the IGP and the NPF.
The Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Bridget Edokwe, was quoted in a report to have stated that the court specifically directed the police authorities to respect judicial processes pending further proceedings in the matter.
The NBA had in September 2025 dragged the Inspector-General of Police to court over tinted-glass permit policy.
The association believes that the policy iis illegal and violates fundamental rights, especially the validity of the 1991 decree it relies on.
The suit, filed in the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeks to challenge the police’s authority and the legality of the permit system, citing concerns about the policy’s transparency and implementation.
Although while responding to the suit and the legality of the issuance of tinted permits recently, the police force explained that Section 2(3a) of the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act, 2004 empowers the Inspector-General of Police or any person duly authorised by him to grant or approve the permit.
Furthermore, it said that Section 1(2) of the same Act provides that an applicant must show good cause either on health grounds or for security reasons before the use of tinted glass can be approved.
The essence of this regulation, according to the force, is consistent with the core mandate of the Police to prevent crimes, as the permit is a critical tool for curbing violent crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery, terrorism, and one chance operations.
In the same vein, it clarified that the charges attached to the acquisition of the permit are purely processing fee and for the maintenance of the digital infrastructure deployed for this service.
“This is well within the law as provided for under Section 26(e) and (f) of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020, which empowers the Police to render specialised services to the public at a fee,” it added.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, who made the clarification in a statement said “it is worthy to put on record that the Force has recorded commendable and significant successes with the Electronic Central Motor Registry (e-CMR), through which numerous stolen vehicles have been traced and recovered across the country, a feat made possible by the modernised police specialised services in line with global best practices.
“The Nigeria Police wishes to unequivocally assure the public that the alleged claims by individuals and groups that the tinted permit policy is not legal, transparent and constitutionally valid are not only untrue and misleading but also a calculated attempt to cast aspersions on the image, integrity, and lawful operations of the Force.”
Meanwhile, about twenty-five vehicles were impounded in Asaba, Delta State for driving without tinted permits.
