The Nigeria Police Force has impounded no fewer than 210 vehicles nationwide during the enforcement of the ban on unauthorised use of tinted glass, despite a Federal High Court order temporarily suspending the enforcement.
The Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, on Friday ordered the police and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to suspend the enforcement of the tinted glass permit regulation for vehicle owners across the country.
The court asked the police and the IGP to maintain the status quo and ‘respect judicial processes pending further proceedings in the matter’.
The court issued the interim order as the hearing opened in Suit No. FHC/WR/CS/103/2025, instituted by legal practitioner John Aikpokpo-Martins against the Inspector-General of Police and the police.
Aikpokpo-Martins approached the court to challenge the legality of the new tinted permit enforcement.
In the interim order, the Court directed the police authorities to ‘respect judicial processes pending further proceedings in the matter’.
Senior Advocate Kunle Edun, SAN, who led the legal team for the petitioner, confirmed the development to journalists and noted that ‘the directive is a major step in ensuring that the rule of law is upheld while the substantive issues in the case are being determined’.
In April, the police announced it had resumed the issuance of tinted glass permits nationwide through the Police Specialised Services Automation Project, after suspending the scheme in 2022.
The move reignited public criticism, with motorists raising concerns about harassment, extortion at checkpoints, and the fairness of demanding permits for factory-fitted tinted windows.
Egbetokun initially set a 12 August deadline for motorists to obtain the permits, but later extended it to 2 October.
The Police defended the policy as lawful, citing the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act of 1991 and national security concerns.
Un the course of enforcing the tinted glass permit regulation across some states, the police impounded 210 vehicles for alleged violations.
In Borno State, the police impounded no fewer than 30 vehicles.
The command spokesperson, Nahum Daso, confirmed the development to Saturday PUNCH, noting that the command was awaiting further directives from the force headquarters on suspending the enforcement of the tinted glass regulation.
Daso said, ‘We are yet to get further directives from the headquarters regarding the court ruling. However, so far, we have impounded around 30 vehicles or so’.
The Akwa Ibom police command impounded 88 cars without tinted glass permit.
The command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Timfon John, who disclosed this while speaking with one of our correspondents in Uyo, said the vehicles had been taken to the command, pending the presentation of permits by their owners before release.
She said that the command inspected a total of 283 vehicles, with 195 having been released and 88 vehicles undergoing investigation.
‘The command has inspected 283 vehicles so far, 195 out of the number have been released while 88 vehicles are undergoing investigation’, the PPRO said.
In Gombe, the police impounded 20 vehicles.
A police officer who spoke under anonymity disclosed this The PUNCH on Friday.
He added, ‘Some officers on stop and search have impounded no fewer than 20 vehicles. Since the operation started’.
He noted that, following the court’s pronouncement, the command would await further directives from the police authorities before taking additional steps on the matter.
The police in Jigawa State impounded 20 private and commercial vehicles on the first day of the enforcement.
The command spokesman, Shi’isu Adam confirmed this to our correspondent on Friday.
He advised vehicle owners in the state to comply with the permit regulations to avoid penalties.
Asked about the Court’s order to halt enforcement, the PPRO said he was unaware of the ruling.
In Kano, when contacted to provide updates on the number of vehicles impounded and whether the enforcement would be suspended in line with the court ruling, the Police Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said the matter was not for the state command to decide.
‘This issue is not within the purview of the Kano State Police Command. All inquiries should be directed to the Police Headquarters in Abuja’, he said.
Enforcing the tinted glass permit law in Sokoto State, the command seized no fewer than 27 vehicles.
The spokesman of the command, Ahmed Rufai, disclosed this to our correspondent, adding that 15 vehicles were impounded on Thursday, while another 12 were seized on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Yobe State Police Command said it would commence the enforcement of the ban on covered number plates and the use of tinted glass without a valid permit on 6 October 2025.
The command’s spokesman, Dungus Abdulkarim, disclosed this to The PUNCH on Friday.
