Police Say They’re Yet to Receive Court Order Halting Tinted Glass Permit Enforcement

TrendCast October 4, 2025

Police Say They’re Yet to Receive Court Order Halting Tinted Glass Permit Enforcement

The Nigeria Police Force says it has not yet been formally served with the Federal High Court order directing all parties to maintain the status quo in the ongoing legal dispute over the enforcement of tinted glass permits.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, made the clarification on Saturday, October 4, noting that while reports of the court’s ruling have circulated widely, the police have not received any official notification.

Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong had earlier revealed that the Federal High Court in Warri ordered the police to suspend the exercise. However, Hundeyin argued that the plaintiff’s three main injunctions were refused, citing section eight of the court’s decision which instructed all parties to preserve the status quo pending further hearing on October 16.

The interim order was issued on Friday, October 3, in the case filed by lawyer John Aikpokpo-Martins against the Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force. Leading the legal team, Kunle Edun (SAN) described the ruling as a significant step in defending the rule of law.

Despite the ongoing litigation, the Niger State Police Command has continued to enforce the tinted glass regulation. Commissioner of Police Adamu Elleman personally led the operation in Minna on Thursday, stopping vehicles with tinted windows for verification.

Elleman urged officers to act with professionalism and courtesy, stressing that the exercise was a preventive security measure rather than punishment. He noted that criminals often use tinted vehicles to conceal their identities and that ignorance of the law would not be an excuse.

The tinted glass permit policy, introduced in April 2025 by Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, mandates vehicle owners to obtain annual permits at a fixed fee. While security experts defend the policy as essential for safety, critics, including motorists and human rights advocates, have decried it as exploitative and prone to abuse.

The Nigerian Bar Association has also filed a separate suit challenging the legality of the policy, with the next court session slated for mid-October.