The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has rejected claims by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) that the motor vehicle tinted glass permit policy is a revenue-generating scheme.
In a statement on Friday, Benjamin Hundeyin, the force spokesperson, said the police are not a revenue-generating agency but are legally permitted to receive funds incidental to the discharge of their statutory duties.
The statement came in response to comments by Afam Osigwe, NBA president, who described the enforcement of the tinted glass permit policy as “executive recklessness” and accused the police of operating a revenue-driven system.
Hundeyin said the policy is backed by law, citing the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act, Laws of the Federation 2004.
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He noted that section 2(3)(a) of the act empowers the inspector-general of police to issue tinted glass permits, while section 1(2) requires applicants to provide legitimate security or health-related reasons.
The force spokesperson described claims that the policy is designed to generate revenue as misleading, noting that section 26(1)(f) of the Police Act 2020 permits the force to receive funds that arise in the course of carrying out statutory responsibilities.
He said the federal government approved the police specialist services automation project in July 2022 to modernise service delivery and improve national security.
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Hundeyin said the project was implemented through a public-private partnership (PPP) authorised under the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) Act.
He said applications for tinted glass permits are processed online and subjected to security vetting, adding that fees collected are used solely to maintain the technology infrastructure and data systems supporting the process.
He also denied allegations that payments are made into private accounts, explaining that Parkway Projects Limited—cited by the NBA—is a Central Bank of Nigeria-licensed payment service provider engaged by the federal government as a collection platform.
The police spokesperson argued that the indiscriminate use of heavily tinted vehicles has facilitated criminal activities, including kidnapping and armed robbery, and undermined traffic surveillance.
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Hundeyin said the enforcement of the policy was earlier suspended as a goodwill gesture following engagements with the NBA, not because of any court order.
He added that no court has restrained the police from enforcing the policy, noting that a recent application for an interim injunction was refused by the federal high court sitting in Warri, Delta state.
He assured that any enforcement of the policy will be professional and rights-compliant, warning that officers found extorting or abusing authority will face disciplinary action.
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