Tinted Glass Permit: Confusion over court judgment

Confusion has trailed the Federal High Court’s ruling on the suspension of the enforcement of the tinted glass permit requirement for vehicle owners.

Last Friday, the Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, had ordered the Nigeria Police Force and the Inspector-General of Police to maintain status quo regarding the issue.
While a human rights lawyer, Mr Inibehe Effiong, made a post on hix X handle to inform the public of this development, the police countered, saying it had not officially received the order.

Effiong posted excerpts of the court order granted in Suit No. FHC/WR/CS/103/2025: John Aikpokpo-Martins v. Inspector General of Police & Nigeria Police Force, which restrained the police from taking further action pending the determination of the case.

However, Force Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, on his official X handle, stated: “While we have not been officially served the court order you’re making reference to, let me, in the meantime, show point no. 8 (of the same order) since you left that part out and focused only on point no. 6. Nigerians deserve a complete picture, not a skewed one.”

Point 8 of the said order reads: “Meanwhile, Reliefs 1, 2 and 3 are hereby refused.”

The reliefs referred to are those sought by the applicant, John Aikpokpo-Martins, on behalf of tinted glass car owners in Nigeria, in Suit No. FHC/WR/CS/103/2025 — John Aikpokpo-Martins v. Inspector General of Police & Nigeria Police Force, which include; (1)An order of interim injunction restraining the Inspector General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, their officers, men, agents, privies and/or contractors from implementing or enforcing the new tinted glass permit policy set to commence on October 6, 2025, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

(2) An order of interim injunction restraining the defendants from stopping, harassing, arresting, detaining, impounding vehicles or extorting motorists in purported enforcement of the tinted glass permit policy pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. (3) An order of interim injunction restraining the defendants from using the Parkway Projects account (No. 4001017918) to collect any fees for the renewal of tinted glass permits or to conduct any government business pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

Meanwhile, the ruling has also elicited commendation from the public, who described the tinted glass permit as needless, insisting that the police did not do due diligence before taking the decision.
President of Emancipation for Nigerians, Mr Gerorge Agada, said: “This tinted glass permit thing makes no sense at all. The court has done the right thing by asking that the status quo be maintained.”

On his part, a lawyer, Mr Tunde Alade, told Sunday Vanguard: “The court has shown that it is last hope of the common man and the police was wrong to have started the enforment. In my opinion, the police did not think this through before going ahead with enforcement.”(Vanguard)