The Force explained that although enforcement was previously suspended, the action was taken voluntarily and not as a result of any court order.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly condemned the planned resumption of enforcement of the motor vehicle tinted glass permit policy by the Nigeria Police Force, describing it as a grave affront to the authority of the court and a subversion of the rule of law.
The condemnation followed a press release issued on December 15, 2025, by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, announcing that enforcement of the previously suspended tinted glass permit policy would resume with effect from January 2, 2026.
The Force explained that although enforcement was previously suspended, the action was taken voluntarily and not as a result of any court order.
According to the NPF, the temporary suspension was in the interest of responsibility, transparency, and public convenience, allowing motorists ample opportunity to regularise their documentation and complete the permit application process without undue pressure.
However, the police said recent trends have shown a disturbing increase in criminal activities involving vehicles fitted with unauthorised tinted glass.
In a statement signed by its President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), the NBA said the announcement confirmed a “troubling disregard for the rule of law and due process” by the police, despite ongoing court proceedings challenging the legality of the policy.
The association recalled that in April 2025, the Inspector General of Police introduced a policy requiring motorists to obtain annual tinted glass permits through an online platform, with enforcement initially slated for June 1, 2025, and later postponed to October 2, 2025.
The policy, according to the NBA, triggered widespread reports of harassment, extortion and civil rights violations, particularly against young Nigerians.
On September 2, 2025, the NBA, through its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), instituted an action at the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1821/2025, challenging the legality and constitutionality of the policy.
The suit questioned the authority of the police to impose fees on citizens and alleged that the policy was unconstitutional, illegal, extortionate and detrimental to citizens’ economic well-being.
Among other grounds, the NBA argued that the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act of 1991 is a military-era law that no longer meets constitutional standards, that the policy amounted to an unlawful revenue-generating scheme by the police, and that payments were being made into a private account rather than the Treasury Single Account.
The association also contended that the policy added to multiple layers of taxation and imposed hardship on Nigerians amid prevailing economic challenges.
Separately, on October 3, 2025, the Federal High Court, Warri Division, in Suit No: FHC/WR/CS/103/2025, ordered parties to maintain the status quo and restrained the police from enforcing the policy pending the determination of an interlocutory application.
Following public outrage and allegations of disobedience to the court order, the Inspector General of Police convened a meeting with senior police officers, legal representatives and NBA leaders.
According to the NBA, it was agreed at the meeting that enforcement of the policy would be suspended pending the outcome of the court cases, and the police subsequently announced a suspension.
When Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1821/2025 came up for hearing on December 12, 2025, before Justice M.S. Liman of the Federal High Court, Abuja, counsel to the police, Chief Ayotunde Ogunleye, SAN, informed the court of the agreement suspending enforcement.
Based on that undertaking, the court struck out the motion for interlocutory injunction, and judgment was reserved.
The NBA said it was “deeply disturbing” that barely one working day after the court relied on the undertaking of the defendants’ counsel, the police announced a reactivation of enforcement.
“This volte-face represents a reckless overreach, a contemptuous disregard for the authority of the court, and a serious assault on institutional integrity,” the association stated.
The NBA called on the Inspector General of Police to immediately withdraw the statement announcing the resumption of enforcement and to halt all actions relating to the policy pending the final determination of the cases before the courts.
It also directed all NBA branches and its Human Rights Committee to provide legal representation to any Nigerian allegedly harassed, arrested, or prosecuted under the policy, warning that it would not allow citizens to be subjected to intimidation under a matter currently before the courts.
The association further threatened to commence committal proceedings against the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Force Public Relations Officer if the directive was ignored, and to initiate professional disciplinary proceedings against any counsel found to have misled the court.
Citing the Supreme Court decision in Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu (1986) 1 NWLR (Pt. 18) 621, the NBA stressed that the undertaking given in open court by the police’s counsel was binding on the defendants and that any contrary executive action amounted to contempt.
The NBA also called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene, warning that the planned resumption of the policy would not only undermine the judiciary but also impose unjustified financial hardship on Nigerians.