The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has taken the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to the Federal High Court, challenging the legality of the police tinted-glass permit policy.
At its National Executive Council meeting in Enugu on August 23, the NBA unanimously resolved to contest the directive, describing it as unlawful, unconstitutional, and a violation of citizens’ fundamental rights.
The policy, introduced in April 2025 and scheduled for enforcement from October 2 after an earlier June deadline was shifted, mandates motorists to apply for annual tinted-glass permits through a digital platform. Applicants are required to pay a fee of N16,000.
But in a statement issued Thursday by Prof. Paul Ananaba (SAN), Chairman of the NBA’s Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), the association expressed concerns that the funds generated are being channeled into a private account belonging to Parkway Projects rather than the Federation Account or Treasury Single Account.
“We are being informed that the portal and the policy are to be managed by a private vendor, and there is no indication that the funds generated will go into the Federation Account,” the NBA stated.
The body alleged that even before enforcement, reports of harassment and extortion tied to the policy had already surfaced at police checkpoints.
READ ALSO: Police Extend Tinted Glass Permit Enforcement Deadline to October 2
The suit, filed in Abuja on September 2, 2025, is titled “The Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association v. The Inspector General of Police & Anor” (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/182/2025). It has not yet been assigned to a judge.
The NBA is arguing that the directive infringes on rights to dignity, privacy, freedom of movement, and property, and that its reliance on a 1991 military decree—the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act—cannot be justified in a constitutional democracy.
While the police maintain that the initiative is designed to improve security and transparency, motorists say it is yet another avenue for extortion, especially given the country’s economic hardships.
Ananaba assured that the NBA will pursue the case to its logical conclusion, urging the police to suspend enforcement until the court rules.