UPDATED Delta Court Halts Police Enforcement of Tinted Glass Permit Policy Nationwide

A High Court of justice sitting in Orerokpe, Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State has issued an ex-parte injunction stopping and barring the Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force from resuming the enforcement of the tinted glass permit policy nationwide.

The order was issued on Wednesday, 17th December, 2025 by Hon. Justice Joe Egwu.

The High Court also barred the police from harassing, arresting, detaining or extorting citizens and motorists on account of the said policy.

The order will subsist pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

The latest injunction followed a suit filed in Delta State by the applicant, Mr. Israel Joe, a human rights activist.

The applicant was represented in court by a team of lawyers led by Kunle Edun, SAN.

Force headquarters had last week announced its decision to resume the tinted glass permit enforcement on 2nd January, 2026 but the latest court order has put an end to it.

The tinted glass permit policy has been controversial since its introduction by the Inspector General of Police in April 2025.

The policy requires citizens to annually obtain motor vehicle tinted glass permits through an online platform.

The initial enforcement was scheduled to begin on June 1, 2025, but was postponed to October 2 following widespread criticism.

Reports of harassment, extortion, and civil rights violations emerged, particularly affecting young Nigerians who complained of being unfairly targeted by law enforcement officers.

In September 2025, the Nigerian Bar Association, through its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), took formal legal action against the policy.

The NBA filed suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging the legality and constitutionality of the tinted glass permit requirement.

The organisation argued that the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act of 1991, which forms the basis for the policy, is a military-era decree that fails to meet democratic standards of justification under Section 45 and other relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

The NBA said that such legislation from Nigeria’s military past cannot automatically satisfy the constitutional requirements of a democratic dispensation.

The NBA described the policy as a revenue-generating scheme by the Police, which is not legally authorised to function as a revenue-generating organisation.

It alleged that permit fees are paid into the account of a private company, raising questions about transparency and proper financial management.

But the Police issued a detailed statement defending its position, saying that it is committed to complying fully with all valid court orders but that there is no final judicial pronouncement declaring the policy unlawful, nor any permanent order restraining them from performing their statutory duties regarding tinted vehicle glasses.