BREAKING: Federal Court Slams Brakes on Police Tinted Glass Crackdown, Orders IGP Egbetokun to Maintain Status Quo

In a landmark ruling that could reshape the ongoing battle between motorists and law enforcement, the Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, on Friday ordered the Nigeria Police Force and its Inspector-General, Kayode Egbetokun, to halt enforcement of the controversial tinted glass permit policy and maintain the status quo pending full judicial determination.

The ruling, delivered in Suit No. FHC/WR/CS/103/2025: John Aikpokpo-Martins v. Inspector-General of Police & Nigeria Police Force, directed the Police to respect ongoing judicial processes and warned that any attempt to undermine the court’s authority would be treated as contempt of court.

The decision comes amid growing public outrage and days after the Nigerian Bar Association’s Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) accused the Police of brazen disregard for the rule of law.

In a scathing letter to IGP Egbetokun on Wednesday, NBA-SPIDEL revealed it had already filed a separate suit — FHC/ABJ/CS/1821/2025: Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association v. IGP & Anor — at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging the constitutionality of the policy. The body warned that the Police were attempting to foist “a situation of helplessness” on the judiciary by enforcing a regulation under active legal contest.

Advance copies of the summons and a motion for interlocutory injunction had been served on the Police Directorate of Legal Services since September 25, 2025, NBA-SPIDEL disclosed, stressing that the law requires all parties to suspend actions relating to a matter once it is before a competent court.

Quoting legal precedent, the association reminded the Police of the long-standing judicial principle that respect for court processes supersedes executive force. In Registered Trustees, Apostolic Church v. Olowoleni (1990), the courts struck down unilateral actions taken on disputed property, affirming that parties cannot take the law into their own hands once a case is sub judice.

Legal analysts say the ruling places the Police in a tight spot, as failure to comply could trigger contempt proceedings against the institution’s leadership. “This is a direct test of the Police Force’s willingness to subject itself to the rule of law,” one constitutional lawyer told The Daily Chronicle on Friday.

The tinted glass permit controversy has sparked nationwide uproar, with motorists accusing the Police of harassment, extortion, and selective enforcement. Friday’s ruling, observers note, may now set the tone for a decisive constitutional battle that pits civil liberties against state policing powers.