The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has promised to defend citizens targeted by police officers enforcing the controversial tinted glass permit, which the body has branded “illegal.”
Through its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), the NBA said police officers had no constitutional authority to impose fees or annual renewals on motorists, warning that the practice was not only unlawful but had been turned into a revenue scheme.
In a statement released on Thursday, October 2, Olukunle Edun (SAN), Chairman of the NBA’s Public Interest Litigation Committee, said: “We shall invoke the powers of the court to ensure that the Nigeria Police Force does not trample on the rights of Nigerians.
“Any citizen who is harassed by the police in the purported enforcement of the illegal tinted glass permit should feel free to contact any of the NBA branches.
“The Human Rights Committees of the 130 branches of the NBA in Nigeria are ready to offer pro bono services to anyone who is harassed.
“It has been estimated that the police may generate at least ₦3bn within a month from monies that will be collected, thus turning the police into a revenue-generating agency of the Federal Government instead of focusing on the more serious issue of crime.”
Edun also stressed that the matter is before the court, accusing the police of acting unlawfully by starting enforcement.
In a separate letter to the Inspector General of Police, also dated October 2, 2025, the NBA reminded the force of the pending suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1821/2025 at the Federal High Court in Abuja, which challenges the legality and constitutionality of the policy.
The association insisted that until the case is decided, the police must maintain the status quo.
The suit, filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the NBA, seeks a declaration that the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Decree of 1991 is unconstitutional, inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution, and cannot be used to compel motorists to obtain or renew permits.
It also urges the court to restrain the police from any further arrests, harassment, or extortion tied to the policy.
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In an affidavit supporting the case, NBA lawyer Godspower Eroga alleged that payments were being diverted through a private account, Parkway Projects A/C No. 4001017918, rather than being remitted to the Treasury Single Account.
Eroga argued further that the law cited by the police provided no clear standards for vehicle tinting and was unsuitable in modern times, since most vehicles are fitted with factory-installed tinted glass.
He also pointed out that previous Inspectors General of Police had suspended the policy multiple times, declaring it free, indefinite, or unnecessary.
According to him, even senior police officers frequently drive SUVs with heavily tinted windows, often without permits.
Reiterating its position, the NBA said: “The Nigeria Police Force is not a revenue-generating agency of the Federal Government.”
The association also expressed outrage that, on the very first day of enforcement, police in Asaba, Delta State, impounded the car of Justice O. A. Ogunbowale of the National Industrial Court.
NBA‑SPIDEL called the incident “an embarrassing and avoidable situation” that proved its warnings correct.
The NBA disclosed that it had tried to secure a last‑minute court injunction to halt enforcement, but the vacation judge at the Federal High Court refused to hear the matter, citing procedural limits.
“A simple order to stay the police action could have protected the public and, as it turned out, one of his own colleagues,” the NBA said.
It concluded with a stern appeal to the judiciary, warning that courts must act boldly in the public interest.
“The judiciary’s authority and integrity are best protected when its members act to prevent chaos, even if it means bending a procedural rule on the ‘last day’ on the bench.”