Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has said that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) will enforce the ban on tinted vehicles nationwide to check crime rate and curb insecurity.
IGP Disu said investigations indicated that kidnappers, armed robbers, “one-chance” operators, and other criminals use tinted vehicles for their criminal activities.
He stated this, Tuesday while responding to concerns raised by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), who led a delegation of the Association on a courtesy call to the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The NBA president opposed the ban on the use of tinted vehicles, especially the commercialisation of tinted glass permits with the mandatory yearly renewal; insisting the Association has no objection to police regulation of their use.
Osigwe had argued that while the NBA supports police oversight of tinted glass permits, the process should not be turned into a revenue-generating venture.
“Let me state that as a principle, NBA does not oppose the idea of police granting permit for tinted glass.
“But, what we are opposed to is the idea of turning tinted glass approval into a money generating venture.
“We had to go to court because of the requirement that tinted glass approval should be renewable.
“It should not be a money generating venture, and a private company should not be empowered to collect the money for it.
“There’s need for us to protect our society. There’s need to ensure that the type of tinted glass that is permissible in a vehicle is such that you can see the occupant, which is what the law says.
“So we have nothing against going against vehicles that have tint to the extent that you cannot see the drivers or other occupants of the vehicles.
“But, turning the process of getting the approval into a revenue generating venture should be frowned upon and not be encouraged,” the NBA president stressed.
Responding, Disu said he held a different view, citing prevailing security challenges in the country.
“I have a different view about it entirely. We have a security situation in the country now.
“If I have my way, there would be no vehicle that would be tinted in the country. And we are moving towards it,” he said.
The IGP recalled that during his tenure as Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), investigations into “one-chance” syndicates revealed that most of the vehicles used were fully tinted.
He said a large proportion of the 27 vehicles recovered from such criminal operations had darkened windows, reinforcing the link between heavily tinted vehicles and criminal activity.
Disu also criticised the increasing use of extremely dark tinted glasses, including windscreens and rear windows, describing the trend as unacceptable and dangerous for security operations.
The Police boss said such vehicles make it difficult for security operatives to identify occupants during stop-and-search operations, thereby putting officers at risk.
“As security officers, we cannot see who is inside these vehicles as they approach us. That puts the lives of security personnel at risk.
“We cannot continue to allow vehicles with extremely dark tints on our roads,” he said.
Disu reiterated that Nigerian law permits tinted glasses only under approved security or medical exemptions, stressing that such approvals do not authorize excessive tinting.
He also warned motorists against driving without number plates or deliberately concealing, covering or defacing registration numbers.
According to IGP Disu, the practice has become a growing threat to law enforcement efforts and public safety.
“Nobody has the right to drive without a number plate, cover it or deface it. Many crimes have been committed by people using such vehicles.
“We have directed our officers to arrest offenders and prosecute them according to the law,” he said.
Disu noted that while some motorists treat concealed number plates as a status symbol, others deliberately evade vehicle registration and renewal processes, thereby undermining law enforcement and government revenue collection.
On bail administration, IGP Disu acknowledged concerns over unlawful conditions imposed in some police formations and assured lawyers that the issue would be addressed.
He clarified that women are legally qualified to stand as sureties and rejected the practice of insisting on senior civil servants or imposing arbitrary requirements before suspects can secure bail.
“Women can stand as sureties for anybody. The law does not say a surety must be a Level 14 officer or meet some other arbitrary condition.
“What matters is that the person is responsible, has a verifiable address and can produce the suspect when required,” he said.
IGP Disu also cautioned lawyers against turning civil disputes into criminal complaints by including a lot of issues in their petitions to make the Police investigate the case.
“Many petitions brought to the police are clearly civil matters. We have told our officers to be bold enough to declare such cases civil.
“Lawyers should help us reduce our workload by discouraging the criminalisation of civil disputes,” he said.
The Police boss decried the practice by lawyers of filing multiple petitions on the same matter at different commands and formations across the country, noting that the police hierarchy was considering measures to halt the practice.
