NBA Drags IGP To Court Over Tinted Glass Permit

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has filed a suit against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, challenging the newly introduced tinted glass permit policy, which it described as unlawful and a violation of citizens’ fundamental rights.

At its pre-conference National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Enugu on August 23, the association resolved to oppose the policy, which was introduced in April 2025 and requires motorists to obtain annual permits for tinted glasses through a digital portal (possap.gov.ng).

The policy, originally scheduled to take effect on June 1 before being postponed to October 2, has drawn criticism over transparency and legality concerns.

In a statement issued on Thursday, chairman of the NBA’s Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), Paul Ananaba, SAN, said the directive raised questions of accountability.

“In April 2025, the inspector-general of police purportedly introduced a policy which mandated members of the Nigerian motoring public to apply for and obtain annual motor tinted glass permits from the Nigeria Police Force for a fee,” the statement read.

He noted that the digital portal launched for the process was being managed by a private vendor, with no evidence that revenues generated from the policy will be remitted into the Federation Account.

The NBA further alleged that even before enforcement has began, there have been reports of harassment and extortion of citizens at police checkpoints based on the policy. It also claimed that payments for the permits were being directed to a private account belonging to Parkway Projects, rather than into the Federation Account or Treasury Single Account (TSA).

The association argued that the policy infringes on rights to dignity, privacy, freedom of movement, and property. It also questioned its legal basis, pointing out that it appears to rely on the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act — a 1991 military decree — which, it said, may not meet the constitutional test of being “reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.”

Acting through SPIDEL, the NBA filed a public interest suit on September 2 at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/182/2025, is yet to be assigned to a judge.

Ananaba said the association intends to pursue the case to its conclusion and urged the police to suspend enforcement of the policy until the court delivers its decision.