A Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, has ordered the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to halt the enforcement of the tinted glass permit.

The ruling, delivered on Friday, followed a suit filed by lawyer John Aikpokpo-Martins, who challenged the legality of the renewed clampdown on vehicles with tinted glasses.

The case gained prominence after a controversial incident in Asaba, Delta State, last Thursday, when police officers impounded the official vehicle of Hon. Justice O. A. Ogunbowale of the National Industrial Court (NIC) during the nationwide enforcement exercise.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), through its Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) led by Mr. Kunle Edun, SAN, had earlier challenged the policy in court, seeking an interim injunction to suspend enforcement pending determination of the substantive suit. However, a Federal High Court vacation judge in Abuja declined the request, noting that his mandate was limited to delivering pending rulings and not entertaining fresh applications.

Legal practitioners have since condemned the impoundment of Justice Ogunbowale’s vehicle, describing it as an “avoidable humiliation” of the judiciary. Some argued that the incident underscored the need for judges to intervene swiftly in matters of urgent public interest.

Meanwhile, the police have maintained that motorists with tinted glasses should register their vehicles via www.possap.gov.ng and complete physical verification at the State Intelligence Department (SID) of their respective command headquarters. Motorists unwilling to obtain permits were advised to remove the tints or replace them with transparent glass.

The police also restated their commitment to enforcing other traffic regulations, including those against unauthorized use of sirens, revolving lights, unallocated official plates, and unregistered vehicles.