A Delta State High Court sitting in Orerokpe has issued an interim order restraining the Nigeria Police Force from enforcing the tinted glass permit policy nationwide.
Justice Joe Egwu gave the order on Wednesday, after hearing an ex parte motion filed by Israel Joe against the Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, the Nigeria Police Force and Delta State Commissioner of Police Olufemi Abaniwonda.
The suit is marked HOR/FHR/M/31/2025.
The police had announced that enforcement of the policy would resume on 2 January 2026.
A Lagos based rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, shared a copy of the court order on Facebook on Wednesday.
In the ruling, the court restrained the police from “stopping, harassing, arresting, detaining, or extorting” Nigerians “under the guise of enforcing the tinted glass permit policy pending the hearing and the determination of the substantive application filed in the suit”.
Justice Egwu also barred the police from operating the bank account of a private contractor, Parkway Project, to conduct government business pending the determination of the suit.
Kunle Edun led other lawyers to represent the applicant in court.
Mr Effiong said the effect of the order is that the police cannot proceed with enforcement as announced.
“By this order, the announcement made by the Nigeria police on its decision to resume the tinted glass permit enforcement on 2nd January, 2026 has been halted by the court,” he wrote.
The tinted glass permit policy was introduced by IGP Egbetokun in April and requires motorists to obtain annual permits through an online platform.
Enforcement was initially scheduled for 1 June but was later postponed to 12 August and then extended to 2 October.
The policy has faced criticism from many Nigerians who say it enables harassment, extortion and violations of civil rights by police officers.
On 2 September, the Nigerian Bar Association, through its Section on Public Interest and Development Law, filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the legality of the policy.
The suit is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1821/2025.
The NBA argued that the policy was based on the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act of 1991, lacked legal backing to impose fees and could lead to abuse by the police.
It also said the policy placed financial burdens on Nigerians, noting that many imported vehicles come with factory fitted tinted glass.
The police were served court papers and represented by Ayotunde Ogunleye.
When the case came up on 12 December before Justice M S Liman, the police confirmed that enforcement had been suspended.
The court then struck out the motion for interlocutory injunction.
Earlier, on 3 October, a Federal High Court in Warri ordered the police and the IGP to suspend enforcement of the policy nationwide and to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the suit filed by John Aikpokpo Martins.
The police later said they were not served with the order.
On 9 October, the police announced that enforcement had been suspended following a meeting between Egbetokun and a delegation of the NBA led by its president, Afam Osigwe.
However, on 15 December, the police reversed that position and announced plans to resume enforcement from 2 January 2026, citing security concerns.
The NBA condemned the announcement and accused the police of contempt of court and disregard for the rule of law.
The association described the move as “a reckless overreach” and “a serious assault on institutional integrity” and asked the IGP to withdraw the statement.
It also directed its branches and human rights committee to offer legal support to any motorist harassed or prosecuted under the policy.
The renewed plan to enforce the policy deepened tensions between the police and the NBA.
The association said the matter remains before the courts and warned that enforcement could amount to contempt.
It also cited a Federal High Court order in Warri directing parties to maintain the status quo.
“Any contrary executive action amounts to overreaching the Court and undermines the rule of law,” President Osigwe, said.
The police, through Force Public Relations Officer CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, insisted that no court order barred enforcement.
He defended the planned resumption on security grounds, citing crimes allegedly committed using vehicles with unauthorised tinted glass.
“The Inspector-General of Police, out of respect and understanding, temporarily suspended enforcement to give Nigerians additional time to regularise their tinted glass permits.
That decision was not based on any court order but was a discretionary move to accommodate public concerns,” Hundeyin said.
The Delta State High Court ruling now restrains the police from implementing the tinted glass permit policy nationwide while legal challenges to the policy continue.
