The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has filed a lawsuit against Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, challenging the legality of the Nigeria Police Force’s tinted glass permit policy. The association described the policy as illegal and a violation of citizens’ rights.
In April 2025, the IGP introduced a rule requiring motorists to apply for and obtain annual tinted glass permits through a digital portal for a specified fee. The policy, initially set to take effect on June 1, was later extended to October 2, 2025. Reports of harassment and extortion at police checkpoints have already emerged, raising concerns over threats to citizens’ rights to privacy, freedom of movement, and property.
The NBA noted that the policy relies on the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act of 1991, a military-era law, whose validity under Nigeria’s democratic framework is questionable. Additional issues include the lack of provision for permit renewal, unclear statutory authority, and payments being made into a private account rather than the government treasury, raising transparency concerns.
Acting through its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), the NBA on September 2, 2025, filed a public interest suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/182/2025) against the IGP. The SPIDEL team, led by Prof. Paul Ananaba, SAN, and Olukunle Ogheneovo Edun, SAN, has been tasked to pursue the litigation to its conclusion.
The lawsuit marks the latest challenge to the tinted glass permit policy as debates continue over its legality and impact on Nigerian motorists.
