Tinted glass permit: Motorists report police harassment

Motorists in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, have expressed concern over alleged harassment and seizure of vehicles by officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for lack of tinted window permits.
They say the alleged harassment, despite the persistence of a court injunction staying enforcement, is taking a toll on their livelihoods.
Speaking on Wednesday, affected motorists said police officers stationed in front of Akim police station were stopping vehicles and asking for permits for tinted windows.
A team of around 15 policemen and traffic wardens were seen checking permits and seizing vehicles without permission.

When approached, one of the officers said they were acting on “orders from above” to enforce the permit policy.

One of the affected motorists, Mr John Etuk, recounted his experience, saying that he was driving from the stadium axis towards the station when officers stopped him and ordered him to park.

“I parked and took out my documents because they are all complete but one of the officers approached, looked at my vehicle and said that the front glass is different from the back and asked for a permit.
“I asked him what permission and he said permission to use factory-fitted tinted glass and I told him the glass on my vehicle is not tinted.
“The officer, who opened my car door and snatched the key from the ignition, said he was ordered from above to seize vehicles whose front glass looks different from the rear,” he said.
“I questioned the rationale for the harassment, only to be told by an officer that there were “two types of tinted glass”: one that is visibly dark and hides the inside, and another that is “slightly dark.”
Etuk said that although officers could clearly see inside his vehicle, they insisted that the glass was “a little dark.”

According to him, other officers joined in, shouting at him to “know the law” and to stop “pretending to be ignorant”.

When contacted at the scene, Cross River Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Irene Ugbo, advised drivers to ensure all vehicle documents were complete.

He then asked for the phone to be handed over to one of the officers at the scene.

Etuk said that after a brief telephone conversation, the officer returned his car keys but warned him to obtain a stained glass permit from the police.

The officer reportedly said the permit would cost N30,000.

Another resident, Mr Edem Udofia, told journalists that his vehicle was seized and taken to the police station claiming that the windows of his bus were too dark, despite the fact that the vehicle had been factory-assembled that way.

“I haven’t gotten in yet, I’m still trying to see who I can call to help me with this matter.
“My family depends on that bus, if I don’t get off it today it means there will be no food,” he said.
Mba Ukweni, a Senior Lawyer of Nigeria (SAN), said the police had no legal authority to seize vehicles with tinted windows if there was nothing incriminating in the vehicle and the necessary documents were in order.
“The court has prevented police from seizing vehicles or harassing motorists due to tinted windows.

“They are bound by that order and must comply with it,” he said.

It will be recalled that the Federal High Court sitting in Warri had earlier issued an interim injunction restraining NPF from enforcing the recently reintroduced stained glass permitting policy, which was due to come into effect from October 2.