The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has filed a lawsuit in the Federal High Court against the Inspector-General of Police, challenging a policy that requires motorists to obtain annual permits for tinted vehicle glass. The NBA argues that the directive is unlawful and infringes on the fundamental rights of citizens.
The Contested Policy
The policy, introduced in April 2025 by Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, mandates that motorists apply for and receive yearly tinted-glass permits through a digital portal. Enforcement was initially scheduled for June 1 but was later postponed to October 2. Motorists have complained that the N16,000 fee is unfriendly given the current economic conditions. The police reactivated the digital permit platform on May 1, 2025, stating that the goal was to improve transparency and national security, after years of public complaints about abuse and extortion related to tinted windows.
Legal and Financial Concerns
The NBA’s suit, filed on September 2, 2025, raises several significant concerns:
- Financial Transparency: The NBA has been informed that permit fees are being paid into a private account belonging to Parkway Projects, not into the Federation Account or the Treasury Single Account, raising concerns about transparency and accountability. The policy and its digital portal are reportedly managed by a private vendor.
- Violation of Fundamental Rights: The association argues that the policy violates constitutionally protected rights to dignity, privacy, freedom of movement, and property.
- Legal Basis: The NBA questions the legal foundation of the policy, which appears to be based on the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act, a military decree from 1991. The body suggests this law may not be “reasonably justifiable in a democratic society”.
- Harassment and Extortion: Even before official enforcement began, the NBA noted “several reported cases of harassment and extortion of citizens by the policemen in checkpoint duty on the basis of this same policy”.
The public interest suit was filed by the NBA’s Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) and is awaiting assignment to a judge at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The NBA has urged the police to suspend the policy’s enforcement until the court rules on the matter.
