By Charles Pemu 
A Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, has ordered the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to maintain the status quo in a suit challenging the legality of the new tinted permit enforcement.
The legal challenge was filed by lawyer John Aikpokpo-Martins following the Police’s renewed enforcement drive, which commenced in June 2025 via its digital platform, POSSAP. The enforcement has since been extended twice, with the final compliance deadline set for October 2025.
The Police defended the policy on security grounds, arguing that it counters the use of vehicles with opaque glass by criminals to evade detection.
However, the lawsuit questions whether the Police are operating within the bounds of the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act of 1991. Critics, including Aikpokpo-Martins, contend that the Act requires permits to be granted only for “good cause,” such as medical or security reasons, and that the current blanket enforcement burdens motorists and infringes on constitutional rights to privacy and freedom of movement.
The legal pushback is widespread, with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) also filing a separate suit arguing that the enforcement framework is unconstitutional and lacks transparency. Concerns have been raised over the handling of fees, the accessibility of the application system, and the potential for abuse by officers.
The Warri court’s directive places the implementation of the tinted glass permit policy in legal limbo until the case is resolved, leaving millions of motorists uncertain about compliance requirements and the broader legitimacy of the police directive.