In a landmark legal move, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has initiated a lawsuit against the Nigeria Police Force over its controversial tinted glass permit policy. The decision to take the matter to court was finalized during the NBA’s pre-conference National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Enugu on August 23. The legal action is a direct challenge to the policy, which mandates that vehicle owners obtain an annual permit for tinted windows, a directive the NBA argues is an overreach of police power and a violation of citizens’ fundamental rights.
The contentious policy, introduced by the Inspector-General of Police in April 2025, requires motorists to apply for the permit and pay fees through a digital portal. While the official enforcement date was initially set for June 1 and later postponed to October 2, reports of police harassment and extortion related to the policy have persisted nationwide. These reports, which detail officers stopping and demanding money from motorists with tinted windows, have been a major point of contention and have fueled public criticism, prompting the NBA to intervene.
The NBA’s lawsuit, filed through its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), is grounded in several constitutional and legal arguments. The association contends that the policy violates citizens’ rights to dignity, privacy, freedom of movement, and property, all of which are enshrined in the 1999 Constitution. Furthermore, the NBA has questioned the legal basis of the policy, which relies on a 1991 military decree—the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act. The association’s legal team is set to argue that this outdated military-era law does not meet the “reasonably justifiable in a democratic society” test required by the Constitution.
Beyond the constitutional issues, the NBA and other critics have raised serious concerns about the financial transparency of the permit scheme. There have been allegations that the fees collected from motorists are being funneled into a private account belonging to a third-party vendor, rather than into the Federation Account or the Treasury Single Account (TSA). This lack of financial oversight has led to fears of corruption and mismanagement. By pursuing the litigation, the NBA aims to not only challenge the policy itself but also to hold the police and their partners accountable for the financial aspects of the scheme.
