The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has pledged to offer free legal support to Nigerians being harassed by the police over the controversial tinted glass permit, which the association says is “illegal.”
Through its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), the NBA condemned the police for imposing fees and annual renewals on motorists, warning that enforcing the policy is both unlawful and appears to be a revenue-generating scheme.
In a statement on Thursday, Olukunle Edun (SAN), Chairman of the NBA’s Public Interest Litigation Committee, said:
“We will use the courts to ensure the Nigeria Police Force does not violate the rights of Nigerians. Any citizen harassed by the police under the guise of enforcing this illegal tinted glass permit should contact any NBA branch. The Human Rights Committees of our 130 branches across Nigeria are ready to provide pro bono legal services.”
Edun noted that the police could collect as much as N3 billion in a month from the policy, turning the force into a revenue agency instead of focusing on combating crime. He also described the police’s move to enforce the policy as “lawless,” emphasizing that the matter is already in court.
In a letter dated October 2, 2025, to the Inspector General of Police, the NBA reminded the force of the pending suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/1821/2025) at the Federal High Court, Abuja, which challenges the legality of the policy. The association stressed that the police are obliged to maintain the status quo until the court rules.
The suit, filed by the NBA’s Incorporated Trustees, seeks declarations that the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Decree 1991 is unconstitutional and inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution. It argues that motorists cannot be forced to pay fees or renew permits and requests an injunction to stop further arrests, harassment, or extortion related to the policy.
NBA lawyer Godspower Eroga, in an affidavit, alleged that the police planned to divert funds into a private account—Parkway Projects A/C No. 4001017918—instead of remitting payments to the Treasury Single Account. He also pointed out that the law cited by the police does not provide clear standards for window tinting and conflicts with modern vehicles that often come with factory-installed tinted windows.
Eroga further highlighted that past Inspectors General of Police have, at different times, suspended the permit requirement, declaring it free, indefinite, or unnecessary. He noted that senior police officers themselves often drive SUVs with heavily tinted windows without permits.
The NBA emphasized that the police cannot impose what amounts to a tax without legislation, stating: “The Nigeria Police Force is not a revenue-generating agency of the Federal Government.”
The association expressed outrage after police in Asaba, Delta State, impounded the vehicle of a National Industrial Court judge, Justice O. A. Ogunbowale, on the very first day of enforcement. The NBA described the incident as “an embarrassing and avoidable situation,” reinforcing its earlier warnings about the policy.
The NBA also revealed that it had attempted a last-minute injunction to halt enforcement, but the Federal High Court’s vacation judge declined to hear the case due to procedural limitations.
“A simple order to stop police action could have protected the public, and as it turned out, one of their own colleagues,” the NBA said.
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The association concluded by urging the judiciary to act swiftly in urgent public interest cases, stressing:
“The judiciary’s authority and integrity are best protected when its members prevent chaos, even if it means bending procedural rules at the last minute.”
