The Nigeria Police Force has suspended the enforcement of the vehicle tinted glass permit across the country following a court order restraining the exercise.
The spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this on Wednesday during an interview on Africa Independent Television (AIT).
Adeh explained that the suspension would remain in place pending the outcome of the ongoing legal proceedings.
“Information reaching me from the office of the PRO is that the order has been received and the enforcement of the tinted permit is now on hold pending the court’s verdict,” she said.
Speaking further, Adeh said the police would comply fully with the court’s directive and would not take any action until a final decision is reached.
“We are waiting for the verdict. We are not against the courts, and we will continue to wait until we get a verdict,” she added.
The FCT police spokesperson emphasised that the suspension is nationwide and applies to all categories of tinted glass permit enforcement.
Addressing concerns about the purpose of the tinted glass regulation, Adeh clarified that the law was introduced for security reasons, not for revenue generation.
“The law was not made by us. We are enforcers. The policy was purely security-driven. Some criminals were using tinted vehicles to commit offences, making it difficult for law enforcement to identify suspects,” she explained.
She noted that the police had observed cases where vehicles with heavily tinted windows were used in robberies, kidnappings, and other violent crimes, which justified the introduction of the policy in the first place.
Adeh dismissed public claims that the permit policy was a money-making venture for the police, insisting that all fees are remitted directly to the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA).
“All payments related to tinted permits are made into the government’s TSA, not to the police,” she stated.
She urged motorists to remain calm and law-abiding while awaiting the final decision of the court.
The tinted glass permit policy, introduced by the police several years ago, requires vehicle owners to obtain official clearance before using vehicles with factory-fitted or modified tinted windows.
However, the enforcement has been widely criticised by motorists and human rights groups, who describe it as a source of harassment and extortion by some police officers.
With the new court order, enforcement activities have now been temporarily suspended nationwide pending judicial clarification on the legality and implementation of the policy.
