By Emiola Osifeso
The Nigerian Bar Association has filed a Federal High Court suit challenging the Inspector-General of Police’s tinted-glass permit policy, saying the directive is unlawful and infringes fundamental rights.
The body, at its pre-conference National Executive Council meeting in Enugu on August 23, condemned and resolved to challenge the policy introduced by the IG, Kayode Egbetokun, in April 2025.
The policy, initially set for enforcement on June 1 but later extended to October 2, requires motorists to obtain annual permits for tinted vehicle glass through a digital portal.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Chairman of its Section on Public Interest and Development Law, Prof Paul Ananaba (SAN), the NBA said it was informed that permit fees are being paid into a private account, raising transparency and accountability concerns.
The statement read, “In April 2025, the Inspector General of Police purportedly introduced a policy which mandated members of the Nigerian motoring public to apply for and obtain annual motor tinted glass permits from the Nigeria Police Force for a fee.
“The Inspector General of Police in the same month purportedly launched a digital portal (possap.gov.ng) through which the application for tinted glass permits was to be processed.
“We are being informed that the portal and the policy are to be managed by a private vendor, and there is no indication that the funds generated from the enforcement of the purported policy will go into the Federation Account.”
The NBA alleged that although enforcement of the policy has not started, “there have been several reported cases of harassment and extortion of citizens by the policemen in checkpoint duty on the basis of this same policy.”
The body alleged that permit payments are being routed into a private account belonging to Parkway Projects rather than into the Federation Account or the Treasury Single Account.
It argued that the directive violates constitutionally guaranteed rights to dignity, privacy, freedom of movement and property.
It also questioned the legal basis for the initiative, noting that it appears to rely on the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act, a 1991 military decree, which the NBA says may not meet the constitutional standard of being “reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.”
Acting through SPIDEL, the NBA filed a public interest suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, September 2, 2025.
The case is captioned ‘The Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association v. The Inspector General of Police & Anor (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/182/2025).’
The suit has been filed but has yet to be assigned to a judge.
Ananaba said the association will pursue the litigation to its conclusion and urged the police to respect the judicial process by suspending enforcement pending the court’s ruling.
Tinted glass permit policy was renewed on May 1, 2025, when the police reactivated their digital tinted glass permit platform after years of public complaints about abuse, extortion, and arbitrary arrests linked to tinted windows.
While the Force said the platform aims to enhance transparency and strengthen national security, motorists have lamented that the N16,000 fee is unfriendly to current economic realities.
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