I’d ban all tinted vehicles if I had my way – IG

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has said he would personally prefer a total ban on tinted vehicles nationwide if the decision were solely within his authority.

He said fully tinted vehicles pose serious security risks and are frequently used by kidnappers, armed robbers, and “one-chance” operators.

Disu stated this in Abuja while responding to concerns raised by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association Afam Osigwe (SAN), who opposed the renewal and commercialisation of tinted glass permits, but said the association had no objection to police regulation of their use.

Osigwe had argued that while the NBA supports police oversight of tinted glass permits, the process should not be turned into a revenue-generating venture.

He also questioned the requirement for periodic renewal, insisting that once vehicle details are captured in a database, repeated renewals were unnecessary.

The NBA president further said permit administration should not be outsourced to private companies collecting fees on behalf of the police.

He, however, stressed that the association supports enforcement against vehicles whose tinted glass completely conceals occupants from security personnel.

Responding, Disu said he held a different view, citing prevailing security challenges in the country.

“I have a different view about it entirely. We have a security situation in the country now. If I have my way, there would be no vehicle that would be tinted in the country. And we are moving towards it,” he said.

The IGP recalled that during his tenure as Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory, investigations into “one-chance” syndicates revealed that most of the vehicles used were fully tinted.

He said a large proportion of the 27 vehicles recovered from such criminal operations had darkened windows, reinforcing the link between heavily tinted vehicles and criminal activity.

Disu also criticised the increasing use of extremely dark tints, including windscreens and rear windows, describing the trend as unacceptable and dangerous for security operations.

He said such vehicles make it difficult for security operatives to identify occupants during stop-and-search operations, thereby putting officers at risk.

According to him, only persons with genuine security or medical reasons are legally permitted to use tinted glass, and even then, not to an excessive level that obscures visibility.

The police chief added that enforcement against illegally tinted vehicles would soon be intensified nationwide.

“So we are not going to accept fully tinted vehicles in this country, and we are going to come out at a particular time to start enforcement of it,” he said.

The remarks come amid ongoing tensions between the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Bar Association over the administration and legality of tinted glass permits.