A Federal High Court has intervened in the controversial new police policy on tinted glass permits, ordering the Nigeria Police Force to halt further action pending the resolution of a legal challenge to the policy’s legality.
A Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, has directed the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Inspector-General of Police to maintain the status quo in a suit challenging the legality of the police’s revived policy on tinted glass permits.
The Core of the Legal Dispute
The suit was filed by lawyer John Aikpokpo-Martins and represents a growing legal and public pushback against the NPF’s policy. The policy, which was revived through its digital platform POSSAP, and whose enforcement was recently extended to October, aims to regulate vehicles with tinted windows. The police have defended the enforcement on security grounds, arguing that criminals often use vehicles with opaque glass to evade detection.
However, the legal challenge questions whether the Police are acting within the scope of the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act of 1991. Critics, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), argue that the law requires permits only for “good cause” (such as medical or security reasons) and that the police’s blanket enforcement:
- Disproportionately burdens motorists, especially those with factory-fitted tints.
- Infringes on constitutional rights to privacy and freedom of movement.
- Risks perpetuating harassment and extortion by security agents on the road.
The court’s directive means the implementation of the new digital tinted glass permit remains in legal limbo until the matter is fully resolved, leaving millions of motorists uncertain about compliance requirements and the overall legitimacy of the policy.
