NBA to Offer Free Legal Aid Over “Illegal” Tinted Glass Permit

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has pledged to provide free legal assistance to motorists harassed by the police over the enforcement of the controversial tinted glass permit, which it has described as unconstitutional and revenue driven.

Through its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), the NBA declared that the police lacked any legal basis to impose fees or demand annual renewals for tinted glass permits. It warned that the enforcement scheme was unlawful and intended to generate revenue rather than focus on crime prevention.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Olukunle Edun (SAN), Chairman of the NBA’s Public Interest Litigation Committee, said: “We shall invoke the powers of the court to ensure that the Nigeria Police Force does not trample on the rights of Nigerians. Any citizen who is harassed in the course of this purported enforcement should contact any NBA branch nationwide.”

He revealed that Human Rights Committees across the NBA’s 130 branches are ready to offer pro bono services to victims. Edun further alleged that the police could generate at least N3 billion in one month through the collection of fees, thereby operating as a revenue agency rather than addressing security challenges.

The NBA reminded the Inspector General of Police of a pending suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/1821/2025) before the Federal High Court, Abuja, which challenges the legality of the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Decree 1991. Filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the NBA, the case seeks a declaration that the decree is inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution and an injunction stopping further arrests, extortion or harassment.

Supporting court documents filed by NBA lawyer Godspower Eroga accused the police of planning to divert payments into a private account — Parkway Projects A/C No. 4001017918 — rather than the Treasury Single Account. He also argued that the decree provided no measurable standard for tinting, making it incompatible with modern vehicles that come with factory-installed tinted windows.

The association highlighted that several past Inspectors General of Police had suspended the permit regime at different times, describing it as unnecessary or indefinite. It also noted the irony that senior police officers themselves drive SUVs with heavily tinted windows without permits.

Meanwhile, outrage grew after police officers in Asaba, Delta State, impounded the vehicle of Justice O. A. Ogunbowale of the National Industrial Court on the first day of enforcement. NBA-SPIDEL described the incident as “embarrassing and avoidable,” stressing that it validated concerns about the dangers of the policy.

Although the NBA had sought an urgent injunction to stop enforcement, the Federal High Court’s vacation judge declined the application due to procedural reasons. The association, however, urged the judiciary to rise to the occasion, warning that judicial authority is best preserved by acting decisively to prevent chaos in matters of urgent public interest.