The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has taken the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to the Federal High Court, Abuja, over the controversial tinted-glass permit policy, describing it as unconstitutional, exploitative, and a potential goldmine for corruption.
The legal fireworks were sparked during the NBA’s pre-conference National Executive Council meeting in Enugu on August 23, where the body unanimously resolved to challenge the directive, which it says infringes on citizens’ fundamental rights and lacks any lawful basis.
The policy, introduced in April 2025 and slated for enforcement from October 2 after a four-month extension, compels motorists nationwide to obtain annual tinted-glass permits via a digital platform — at a fee of ₦16,000 per vehicle.
But in a statement on Thursday, the Chairman of NBA’s Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), Prof. Paul Ananaba (SAN), raised damning allegations, revealing that permit fees are not being remitted into government coffers but into a private account operated by Parkway Projects Limited, a vendor contracted to manage the portal (possap.gov.ng).
“We are informed that the portal and the policy are being managed by a private vendor, and there is no indication that the funds generated will go into the Federation Account,” Ananaba declared, warning that the arrangement threatens transparency and accountability in public finance.
The association further alleged that despite enforcement not formally commencing, motorists have already begun facing harassment and extortion at checkpoints, with policemen exploiting the tinted-glass directive as a pretext to fleece citizens.
In its suit, titled The Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association v. The Inspector General of Police & Anor (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/182/2025), filed on September 2, 2025, the NBA argues that the directive violates the constitutionally guaranteed rights to dignity, privacy, freedom of movement, and ownership of property.
It also challenged the legal foundation of the policy, which is said to lean on the 1991 Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act, a military decree the NBA insists “cannot be reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.”
The body urged the Police to suspend enforcement of the policy pending judicial determination, stressing that it will pursue the litigation to its logical conclusion in the public interest.
The Nigerian Police Force, on its part, has defended the reactivation of the digital tinted-glass permit platform on May 1, 2025, arguing that it is designed to curb insecurity, enhance accountability, and check abuse. However, motorists and civil society groups have slammed the policy as another cash cow at a time when Nigerians are battling economic hardship.
The case, though yet to be assigned to a judge, is expected to trigger a major legal battle that could redefine the limits of police regulatory powers in Nigeria’s democratic space.
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