The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has defended its Motor Vehicle Tinted Glass Permit Policy, insisting that the regulation is lawful, security-driven and not designed as a revenue-generating scheme.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Benjamin Hundeyin, the police said it was responding to recent public comments credited to the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, which it described as containing “material misrepresentations” about the policy.
The Force cited provisions of the law to justify the policy, noting that Section 2(3)(a) empowers the Inspector-General of Police to issue tinted glass permits, while Section 1(2) requires applicants to provide valid security or health-related reasons.
According to the police, the policy is aimed at addressing public safety concerns, including the use of tinted vehicles in crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery and terrorism.
“The Nigeria Police Force remains a law-abiding institution operating strictly within the framework of the Constitution, extant statutes and valid court orders,” the statement said, adding that the Force has neither acted nor intends to act in contempt of court.
The NPF also rejected claims that the policy was introduced to generate revenue, stressing that it is not a revenue-generating agency. However, it clarified that the Police Act, 2020, allows the Force to receive funds that accrue incidentally in the course of carrying out its statutory responsibilities.
Explaining the current application process, the police said the online tinted glass permit system operates under the Police Specialised Services Automation Project, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in July 2022. The project, it added, is implemented through a Public-Private Partnership authorised by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
Under the automated system, applications are submitted online, subjected to security screening and approved strictly in line with legal requirements. The police said the administrative fees paid by applicants are used solely to maintain the technology infrastructure and security systems supporting the process.
Hundeyin also refuted Osigwe’s claim that payments for the permit are made into a “private account” operated by Parkway Projects.
“The allegation by the President of the NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe, that payments are made into a ‘private account’ operated by Parkway Projects is entirely false and betrays either a lack of understanding of payment processing systems or outright mischief calculated to mislead members of the public,” he said.
He explained that Parkway Projects Limited is a Central Bank of Nigeria-licensed payment services provider, engaged by the Federal Government to serve as a payment collection channel for the vehicle tint permit project, similar to platforms such as Remita.
The Force added that the enhanced tinted glass permit system was introduced to standardise applications nationwide, improve vetting, integrate modern security innovations and eliminate bottlenecks and extortion associated with the previous manual process.
