By Peter Omopo
September 5, 2025
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has dragged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to the Federal High Court, Abuja, challenging the legality of the police’s tinted-glass permit policy.
The NBA, through its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), argued that the directive, introduced in April 2025, is unconstitutional and infringes on citizens’ fundamental rights, including dignity, privacy, freedom of movement, and property.
The policy, scheduled for enforcement from October 2, 2025, mandates motorists to obtain annual permits for tinted vehicle glass through a digital portal, for a fee of N16,000.
In a statement on Thursday, SPIDEL Chairman, Prof. Paul Ananaba (SAN), alleged that the fees are being paid into a private account operated by Parkway Projects, raising transparency and accountability concerns.
“The policy appears to be anchored on the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act, a military decree of 1991, which may not meet the constitutional threshold of being ‘reasonably justifiable in a democratic society,’” Ananaba said.
The NBA further claimed that even before the official commencement of enforcement, citizens have reported cases of harassment and extortion by policemen at checkpoints.
The case, filed on September 2, 2025, is titled The Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association v. The Inspector General of Police & Anor (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/182/2025). It has not yet been assigned to a judge.
The association urged the police to suspend enforcement of the policy until the matter is determined in court.
The Nigeria Police Force had relaunched its digital tinted-glass permit platform on May 1, 2025, insisting the initiative would enhance transparency and improve national security. However, many motorists have criticised the fees as unrealistic amid current economic hardship.
