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The plan by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to commence the enforcement of the tinted glass permit policy by January 2, 2026, has attracted criticisms from concerned Nigerians and other stakeholders. The critics have questioned the propriety of enforcing tinted glass permit policy at a time when the use of tinted glass is not one of the security challenges facing the country. It should be the least concern of the NPF now. The role of the police force is to enforce laws, prevent and detect crime, maintain public order and protect life and property.
The police force is the primary internal security agency for the country. Following the inability of the police to perform these primary duties, the military has often been drafted to perform police duties. This ugly development has come with its own challenges as well. These are issues that should bother the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, and not the rush to implement the tinted glass permit policy, which a competent court of jurisdiction has reportedly halted.
For instance, a Delta State High Court in Orerokpe had, on December 17, issued an ex parte injunction barring the IGP, the NPF and the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Police Command, respondents in the matter from resuming the enforcement of the tinted glass permit policy nationwide. The court also barred the police from harassing, arresting, detaining or extorting money from citizens and motorists on account of the said policy. The trial judge, Justice Joe Egwu, who made the order, also restrained the IGP and NPF, their officers, men, agents, privies and/or contractors from continuing to use the account of a certain contractor to conduct any government business, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application in this suit.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has warned that it would be compelled to initiate committal proceedings against Egbetokun, and the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, if they go ahead to resume the enforcement of tinted glass permit for vehicles on January 2, 2026. The NBA said in a statement last Tuesday issued by its president, Afam Osigwe, SAN, that the enforcement was barred by an existing court order and disobedience could result in imprisonment for contempt. According to the NBA, “the press release dated December 15, 2025, issued by Hundeyin, announcing reactivation of the suspended tinted glass permit policy with effect from 2nd January, 2026, has once again confirmed the sad reality that the Nigeria Police Force, despite being the foremost law enforcement agency in Nigeria, continues to exhibit a troubling disregard for the rule of law and the due process it is constitutionally mandated to uphold.”
He noted that the announcement contradicted an October agreement between the NBA and the IGP, under which enforcement was paused pending the outcome of a suit challenging the policy. The NBA argued that the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act of 1991, which the policy was based on, was a military-era law that “does not meet democratic and constitutional standards.” It feared that its resumption would “initiate disorder and extortion, given the Nigeria Police’s penchant for extortion, bribery, harassment, intimidation and extra-judicial killings.” The NBA also said it was ready to provide legal representation to any motorist harassed by the police over tinted glass permit.
The NPF has vowed to resume the enforcement, insisting that it was necessitated by escalating security threats, including armed robbery and kidnapping linked to vehicles with unauthorised tinted windows. Police spokesman, Hundeyin, said the previous suspension was voluntary, not court-mandated, and aimed at giving Nigerians time to regularise documentation. He said there was “no time limit attached to earlier suspension and the Force was hoping that the court case would have reached a logical conclusion within that period.” He also cited a recent security incident in Edo State to justify the resumption of the enforcement. It said the police’s attempt to stop a Lexus SUV with tinted windows resulted in the occupants opening fire on the officers, killing an inspector of police who could not accurately predict who was innocent of the firearms being carried by the occupants. He disabused the minds of Nigerians that it was a money-making venture or a revenue-generating drive.
We urge the police to halt the enforcement of the tinted glass permit policy until substantive court cases on the matter are resolved. The police should listen to other Nigerians who oppose the tinted glass policy. Tinted glass permit should not be an overriding security priority now. Modern policing has evolved in tracking criminals in flight. These include the use of surveillance cameras, satellite images and roving helicopters. The challenge before Nigeria police is to ensure that over 200 million Nigerians are protected and safe.
