The Nigeria Police Force has said it is yet to receive the official court order directing it to stop the enforcement of the tinted glass permit regulation.
This comes after a Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, reportedly ordered the police on Friday to halt the enforcement of the permit and maintain the status quo, pending the conclusion of ongoing judicial proceedings.
The order gained public attention after it was shared on social media by human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong. He posted the ruling on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, stating that the police had been told to stop the enforcement of tinted glass permits.
Responding to the post, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the police had not been officially served with any such court order. He stressed that until the police receive formal communication from the court, enforcement would likely continue.
“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,” Hundeyin wrote in response to Effiong’s post.
He pointed out that the court actually refused some of the reliefs sought by the applicant, which he said was not mentioned in the viral post.
The issue of tinted glass permit enforcement has long been a controversial topic in Nigeria. The police had previously suspended enforcement in 2022, following public outcry and concerns over extortion and harassment at checkpoints. However, enforcement reportedly resumed earlier this year, prompting renewed criticism.
Human rights advocates have argued that the permit system is unclear and often used to exploit motorists. The court case in Warri is part of broader legal efforts to challenge what some lawyers call “abuse of power” in the permit’s enforcement.
