Tinted glass permit: NBA urges Tinubu to rein in IGP, warns of contempt as court verdict looms

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on President Bola Tinubu to caution the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, over the planned resumption of enforcement of the tinted glass permit policy from January 2, 2026, describing the move as a direct affront to judicial authority.

In a statement signed by its President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, the NBA warned that the legality of the policy is currently before the Federal High Court in Abuja, where hearings have been concluded and judgment reserved, stressing that the police must not take steps capable of undermining the court’s decision.

The association disclosed that its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) had instituted Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1821/2025 against the IGP, challenging the legality of the tinted glass permit policy and questioning the constitutional and statutory basis for imposing fees on citizens.

According to the NBA, the suit argues that the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act of 1991 is a military-era law that fails constitutional justification, lacks proper legislative backing, and opens the door to extortion, given the police’s history of “bribery, harassment, intimidation, and extrajudicial killings.”

The NBA further contended that the policy amounts to an unlawful revenue drive, noting that the Nigeria Police Force is not a revenue-generating agency and raising concerns that permit fees are paid into a private account rather than the Treasury Single Account, a situation it described as troubling for transparency and accountability.

It also cited an order of the Federal High Court, Warri Division, in a related suit directing parties to maintain the status quo and restraining the police from enforcing the policy pending determination of an interlocutory motion, an order it said led to an agreement between the police and the NBA to suspend enforcement.

The association expressed surprise that the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, announced a reactivation of the policy despite the agreement, describing the move as “executive recklessness” and evidence of a “troubling disregard for the rule of law.”

Warning of consequences, the NBA said it would initiate contempt proceedings against the IGP and the police spokesperson if enforcement proceeds, while directing its branches and Human Rights Committee to provide legal support to any Nigerian harassed or prosecuted under the policy, insisting that President Tinubu must “call the Inspector General of Police to order” to prevent hardship and protect the authority of the courts.