A fresh legal battle has opened in the Federal High Court, Abuja, as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), through its Incorporated Trustees, has dragged the Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force to court over the enforcement of mandatory registration of vehicles with tinted glass.
In an originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/821/2025, filed on September 2, 2025, the NBA is seeking the court’s determination on whether the police, by virtue of Sections 34, 35, 36, 37, 41 and 44 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and relevant provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, can lawfully impose mandatory registration requirements on Nigerians for vehicles with tinted glass.
The suit questions the validity of the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Decree 1991 (now Act) in light of citizens’ fundamental rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing, privacy, freedom of movement, and property.
The NBA, acting on behalf of legal practitioners and the motoring public, insists that the police have overreached their constitutional mandate by criminalizing the use of factory-fitted tinted glass without proper legislative backing.
The summons, stamped and received by the Nigeria Police on September 2, 2025, directs the defendants to enter appearance within eight days.
Failure to do so may allow the court to proceed with the case in their absence.
This legal action comes amid increasing complaints from motorists across the country about police alleged harassment and extortion under the guise of tinted glass regulation.
For years, the policy has been a subject of public outcry, with critics arguing that it undermines citizens’ rights while doing little to address insecurity.
Observers say the outcome of this case could set a landmark precedent for policing standards, human rights enforcement, and the extent of police powers in Nigeria
