NBA Threatens Contempt Suit Against IGP Over Resumed Tinted Glass Permit Enforcement

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has threatened to initiate contempt proceedings against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, and Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, over plans to resume enforcement of the contentious tinted glass permit policy.

In a statement on Tuesday, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, described the police announcement of 15 December 2025, reactivating enforcement of the suspended policy from 2 January 2026, as “a grave affront to the majesty of the court and a subversion of the rule of law.”Osigwe warned that if the IGP fails to withdraw the directive and halt the planned enforcement, the NBA will commence committal (contempt) proceedings against Egbetokun and Hundeyin “until they purge themselves of contempt.”

He added that the Association would also initiate professional disciplinary proceedings against any counsel found to have misled the court on the status of the policy.The NBA’s anger stems from ongoing litigation over the legality and constitutionality of the tinted glass permit regime and an alleged undertaking given in open court that enforcement had been suspended pending judicial determination.

On 2 September 2025, the NBA, through its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), filed Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1821/2025 before the Federal High Court, Abuja, challenging the policy introduced by the IGP in April 2025.

The suit questions the power of the police to impose fees on citizens for tinted glass permits and alleges that the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act of 1991 is a relic of military rule that does not meet current constitutional standards.The Association contends that the policy is unconstitutional, extortionate, and a veiled revenue drive, pointing to payments allegedly made into a private company’s account rather than the government’s Treasury Single Account.

It also argues that the policy will fuel extortion and harassment by police officers, aggravate economic hardship, and undermine ongoing tax reforms.The NBA noted that after widespread reports of abuses and a status quo order issued on 3 October 2025 by the Federal High Court, Warri Division, parties entered into high-level discussions.

According to Osigwe, the IGP and senior police management, in a meeting with NBA representatives, agreed to suspend enforcement of the policy pending the outcome of the court cases and to direct officers to cease enforcement.Osigwe said this understanding was formally communicated to the Federal High Court, Abuja, on 12 December 2025, when counsel to the IGP, Chief Ayotunde Ogunleye, SAN, informed the court of the suspension.

On the strength of that representation, the NBA’s motion for an interlocutory injunction was struck out, and judgment in the substantive suit has been reserved.

The NBA now considers the police press release announcing renewed enforcement as a “volte-face” and “contemptuous disregard” for the court’s authority, arguing that it contradicts the undertaking given in open court and risks preempting the pending judgment.In response, the Association has directed all its branches and its Human Rights Committee to immediately provide legal representation to any Nigerian who is harassed, arrested, prosecuted, or has their vehicle impounded over alleged violations of the tinted glass permit policy.

Osigwe called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call the IGP and the Nigeria Police Force to order, warning that resuming the policy “will not only amount to a slap on the face of the court but also impose unjustified financial hardship” on already struggling Nigerians.

The NBA insists that the police must respect the authority of the courts and the rule of law and urges an immediate withdrawal of the enforcement directive pending the final determination of all related cases.