ON Monday, the Nigeria Police Force announced it will resume enforcement of the tinted glass permit policy from January 2, 2026. According to Force PRO Benjamin Hundeyin, this decision follows “growing security concerns linked to the misuse of unauthorised tinted vehicle glass.”
My thoughts on this? Pure opportunism dressed up as security policy.
The police want us to believe they’re resuming this enforcement because of rising insecurity. According to them, criminals now use tinted vehicles to conceal their identities while committing armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes. Sounds genuine, doesn’t it? But like James Hadley Chase said, “believe this and you will believe anything.”
Let’s be honest here. When last did bandits or kidnappers roll up to a school or highway in a Toyota Camry with tinted windows? The criminals terrorising this country arrive on motorcycles in convoys of 50 or 100. They don’t need tinted glass to hide their identity because they operate in broad daylight in areas where the police have completely abandoned their posts.
Some of our highways where kidnappers have been collecting tolls for years now, those boys are not hiding behind tinted windows. The bandits who recently attacked the Kebbi school, did they need tinted permits? The terrorists operating in Zamfara, Katsina, and Niger states, are they driving around in SUVs with tinted glass?
So what’s this really about?Revenue generation. Plain and simple.
The police force is not a revenue-generating agency. Their constitutional duty is to protect lives and property, not to run a permit business. But in Nigeria, every agency with a uniform sees citizens as ATMs on legs.
Here’s the problem with this entire permit regime. How exactly will the police stop criminals from legally obtaining tinted glass permits? They can’t. And we all know it.
In Nigeria, if you have money and connections, you can obtain anything. Criminals on wanted lists have managed to get international passports and drivers licenses. So what stops them from walking into any police station with N50,000 or N100,000 and walking out with a legitimate tinted glass permit?Nothing.The permit doesn’t make you a saint. It just means you paid the fee.
Whether that money exchanged hands legally or through the back door that we’re all familiar with in this country, nobody will ask questions once you flash that permit.
But here’s where it gets interesting. The police said they will carry out this enforcement “with dignity.” Maybe in another country or in 2050, I might be tempted to believe such promises. But the Nigeria Police Force of today? Impossible.
We know how this will play out on our roads. Police checkpoints will multiply like mushrooms after rain. And they won’t be stopping just anyone.
When they see a Range Rover or a G-Wagon with tinted windows, the conversation will be brief. “Oga, happy weekend. Anything for the boys?” A few thousand naira changes hands, and the luxury vehicle drives off. No permit required.
But let a middle-class Nigerian driving a 10-year-old Honda Accord with factory tinted glass approach that same checkpoint. The harassment begins. “Oga park well. Where is your permit? You don’t know this is illegal? You want to carry criminals? We will impound this vehicle today.”
It’s the same story everywhere in this country. The big men get away with everything while the struggling masses bear the full weight of every new policy, every new regulation, every new revenue scheme.
The Nigerian Bar Association has rightly called out this charade. NBA President Afam Osigwe pointed out that there’s a court order barring enforcement pending the outcome of a suit challenging the policy. Just last week, the police gave an undertaking in court that they would suspend enforcement. Three days later, they announce resumption of that same enforcement.
What does this tell you about the police’s respect for the rule of law?
It tells you they don’t have any. The same organisation that’s supposed to enforce laws feels comfortable disobeying court orders. And they wonder why Nigerians don’t trust them.
The NBA is right to warn of committal proceedings for contempt. But let’s not hold our breath waiting for any consequences. In Nigeria, powerful institutions rarely face accountability for contempt of court.
Some people have defended this policy by saying tinted glass genuinely aids criminal activity. Fair point, I suppose. But that’s like saying we should ban all cars because armed robbers use vehicles for getaway. Or ban motorcycles completely because bandits ride them.
The solution to crime is not harassing law-abiding citizens. It’s actual policing.Instead of mounting roadblocks to extort permit fees, why doesn’t the police deploy officers to patrol high-crime areas? Instead of checking for tinted glass permits, why not track down the bandits operating freely in our forests? Instead of this revenue scheme, why not invest in intelligence gathering and crime prevention?
I’ll tell you why. Because actual policing is hard work. It requires training, equipment, intelligence, and courage. Much easier to stand at a checkpoint and collect “anything for the boys” from motorists.
The Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act of 1991 that they’re using to justify this policy is a military-era law. We’re in 2025 now, operating under a democracy. That law needs to be reviewed or scrapped entirely.
Besides, if security is truly the concern, there are better ways to address it. Technology exists today that can identify vehicles and their occupants without relying on visual confirmation. Many countries use automated systems, databases, and proper intelligence networks.
But no. In Nigeria, we prefer the analog method. The method that creates opportunities for corruption at every checkpoint.
The timing of this announcement is also suspicious. Why the rush to enforce this order despite a pending court case? Why announce resumption just days after giving the court an undertaking to suspend enforcement?
It smells like desperation or maybe they want to create facts on the ground before the court can rule against them.Either way, it’s contemptuous and unacceptable.
We have serious security challenges in this country right now. Bandits control entire local government areas in the northwest. Kidnappers operate freely on major highways. Terrorists still attack communities in the northeast. Cultism and armed robbery plague our cities.
And the police response to all this is… tinted glass permits?It’s like watching your house burn down while the fire service demands you pay for their water before they help. Completely ridiculous.
Look, nobody is saying tinted glass should be a free-for-all. If there must be regulation, fine. But make it reasonable, make it affordable, make the process transparent, and for God’s sake, enforce it fairly.
Don’t turn it into another avenue for extortion. Don’t make it another tool for harassing middle-class Nigerians while the powerful drive past with impunity.
The NBA has promised to provide free legal representation to any motorist harassed over tinted glass permits. That’s good. But how many Nigerians have the time and energy to fight legal battles with the police? Most people will just pay the bribe or the permit fee, even when they shouldn’t have to.That’s exactly what the police are counting on.
Here’s what should happen. The Federal High Court should urgently hear and determine the NBA’s suit. If the court finds the policy unconstitutional, end it. If it doesn’t, then let enforcement proceed but with strict oversight to prevent abuse.
The police should also be mandated to publish monthly reports showing how many permits were issued, how much revenue was generated, and how that money was spent.
Transparency might not eliminate corruption completely, but it helps.
Most importantly, the police need to remember they serve the public, not the other way around. Every Nigerian paying taxes is already funding the police. We shouldn’t have to pay additional fees for permits just to exercise our right to move around freely.
As we head into 2026, let’s be clear about what this tinted glass enforcement really is. It’s not about security. It’s not about reducing crime. It’s about revenue generation through legalized harassment.
And until we start holding our law enforcement agencies accountable, until we demand they focus on actual policing instead of permit collection, until we insist on respect for court orders and due process, this pattern will continue.
These are the issues. The police should focus on catching criminals, not creating new ways to extort citizens. Our security challenges are real and urgent. Tinted glass permits are not the solution.
- Nda-Isaiah is a political analyst based in Abuja and can be reached on jonesdryx@gmail.com. His syndicated column appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Saturday.