• Motorists risk arrest, vehicle impoundment as implementation begins October 2
• N16,000 permit fee per vehicle may net Police N94.4b revenue yearly
• Expert warns tinted glass tax could alienate Tinubu administration from masses
• Human rights group vows court challenge over ‘unconstitutional’ tax

The Nigerian Police Force yesterday shifted the enforcement of the controversial digital tinted glass permit tax regime to now begin in October this year.

The development, which will levy N16,000 tax on each vehicle with tinted windows yearly, was originally scheduled to take off today until a last-minute extension for another 52 days amid a chaotic registration process, allegations of extortion, panic and pushbacks across states yesterday.

Estimated to earn the Police the sum of N94 billion yearly, the additional tax era was already the talk of the town, with penalties ranging from arrest of motorists, fine, vehicle impoundment and imprisonment for non-compliance.

As is common when deadlines approach, the scene at the Lagos State Police Command yesterday was chaotic, with motorists thronging one of the few capture centres in a last-minute rush to beat the deadline.

A Lagos motorist, Simeon Emokpaire, recounted his experience to The Guardian: “Getting to do the registration online was difficult; it took three weeks to register and make payment online. It failed several times.

“I had to wait for days for the message to bring my car and do my biometric. If you don’t have somebody to talk to, you may not get the message on time.

“The place for capturing in Alagbon is different from the place where the biometric is done, and getting to Alagbon, I was told to go to Kam-Salem House after I had driven a long distance to Alagbon.

“To get them to attend to you, you have to pay money. I had to part with N10,000 before they attended to me. From the gate, you will be told that you need to pay. It took me around five minutes after paying the N10,000,” he added.

Another applicant told The Guardian that after several failed attempts to register last Saturday, the portal repeatedly rejected both Bank Verification Numbers and National Identity Numbers, despite the details being complete and accurate.

“The website is rejecting BVN and NIN even when they are complete and accurate,” the applicant wrote in a WhatsApp chat with The Guardian, attaching screenshots of the error messages.

After numerous attempts on Saturday evening, he said the website eventually stopped opening, apparently due to a server error. He also alleged that someone who visited the data centre for biometric capture after registering online was extorted of N10,000.

According to him, motorists who already possess valid tint permits are also being instructed to register again.

A car owner who had her biometric data captured at the Lagos State Police Command, Adunola Agunbiade, said:

“I registered on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, and I went for capturing on August 11, 2025.

I received an email instructing me to go for capturing, and I was eventually attended to after waiting in the queue for a while. It took too long to gain access to the office where my biometrics were captured.”

Agunbiade continued: “The police should deploy more officials to handle the capturing process.

Another individual, who pleaded anonymity, stated: “The place was chaotic when I arrived. I had to bribe the police before I could get my data captured. I ended up spending around N40,000 before I was finally attended to. It was too crowded and disorderly.”

A further check on the portal on Monday revealed that the option to select registration for the tint permit was inactive, preventing applicants from proceeding.

Tinted glass permit enforcement is back
Last January, amid uncertainties surrounding the incoming tax reform bill, Nigerians faced rumours of additional taxes imposed by the Nigeria Police in the form of a compulsory Central Motor Registry (CMR) certification, which all motorists are required to acquire at a stipulated fee.

This document would be an addition to regular vehicle particulars, vehicle licence, insurance, a certificate of roadworthiness, and sometimes proof of ownership.

Nigerians, already struggling with the removal of fuel subsidy and related inflation, protested against the proposed police tax, urging the federal government to control its agencies and parastatals from imposing additional taxes on the people.

The background to the issue stems from the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act of 1991, enacted by the Federal Military Government, which restricted vehicles from using tinted glass without authorisation from the Inspector-General of Police.

Despite the law’s enforcement, public outcry emerged over perceived selective application and police checkpoints exploiting motorists.

In June 2021, the IGP suspended the issuance of tinted glass permits due to widespread insider abuse.

In 2024, the police announced stringent measures to prevent abuse and ensure compliance. However, many motorists and commuters, still reeling from petrol subsidy removal, rejected any additional taxes from the police. The police framed the initiative as a move towards a computerised CMR certification, prompting concerns.

After relenting, a new scheme was introduced as the Digital Tinted Glass Permit System in April 2025. Motorists are now expected to apply online through the Police Specialised Services Automation Project (POSSAP) platform.

In June 2025, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, approved the extension after complaints and dissatisfaction expressed by members of the public regarding the reactivation of the digital tinted glass permit application process.

The NPF also promised that it is working to simplify and improve both the physical and contactless application options, including enhanced verification mechanisms and streamlined procedures to reduce delays and eliminate undue inconveniences.

The permit, renewable yearly, provides continuous revenue streams for the police.

With approximately 11.8 million motor vehicles in Nigeria, more than half equipped with tinted glass, any tax capturing even 50 per cent of that number would yield a significant sum. Compliance by half the number of vehicles in the country (N5.9 million vehicles × N16,000) will yield N94.4 billion.

Beyond the contentious amount, complaints arise regarding the limited data-capturing centres available, particularly in Lagos, Delta State, Abuja and Ogun State.

For instance, in Lagos, the centres are only available at Command Headquarters, Ikeja; Zone 2 Headquarters, Onikan; and Force Headquarters Annexe, Obalende.

In Delta State, only one centre, located at the Police Headquarters, Okpanam, is available for capturing.

Spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, told The Guardian that only one centre is available for capturing in Abuja. The same applies to Ogun State, where the centre is located in Elewe-Eran, Abeokuta.

Vehicle owners outside the country also face an uphill task registering online.

Security expert and consultant, Royson Stephen Onyishi, emphasised the importance of tinted permits for security purposes, likening them to the National Identification Number (NIN) for better policing and crime prevention.

Amid economic challenges, Public Relations consultant Wole Olaoye criticised the timing of placing an additional burden on the people, urging the police to withdraw the plan.

He noted that the hard times have made tempers very brittle, stressing that there are only a few things that could be as incendiary as additional burdens.

“I am not aware of any modern vehicle that comes with completely plain (‘un-tinted’) glasses. The darkness of the tint could differ, but every vehicle is fitted with tinted glass to varying degrees. I can understand if questions are raised regarding motorists who install cellophane tint to make their vehicles darker.

“But to ask owners of vehicles with factory-fitted tinted glasses to purchase a permit at N16,000 is a backdoor tax that negates all the efforts the federal government has been making to reduce the burden of the masses.

“We have been through this tinted glass saga before. I have a collection of three different ‘tinted glass permits’ issued in the past under different police IGs with the excuse that the measure was in aid of national security,” he stated.

The new tax regime, which includes the Nigeria Tax Act, the Tax Administration Act, the Nigeria Revenue Service Act, and the Joint Revenue Board Act, aims to simplify taxes, protect low-income earners, and promote small businesses.

However, recent developments suggest a return to outdated tax practices, raising concerns among Nigerians already facing economic strain.

Olaoye called for government intervention to prevent further alienation of the people through excessive taxation.

As the enforcement of tinted glass permits looms, unanswered questions remain about the necessity of yearly renewal, the purpose of revenue collection, and alleged extra fees during the capturing process.

Despite promises to engage stakeholders to address concerns, the lack of transparency and engagement from the police fuels public scepticism and resistance to the new tax scheme.

Avoidable trouble
Olaoye said he does not doubt that the police force could benefit from more funds to cope with the many challenges confronting it.

Over the past several decades, he has been on record calling on federal authorities to properly fund the organisation.

He noted that the country could not hide under the need for security, to add to the current economic burdens of its long-suffering people.

According to him, there must be a clearing house in the presidency for rolling out this kind of measure, whose potential damage in terms of public perception of the government as a caring and empathetic one is significant.

“It is not in the interest of the government for any of its agencies to do anything that could generate more foes for the government, especially when the particular measures are not ‘life-and-death’ matters.

“We all remember the strenuous efforts made by the government before the new set of pro-people tax bills itemised at the beginning of this discourse became law. The proposed enforcement of the old, tinted glass legislation will neutralise the PR mileage already achieved by the Tinubu administration.

“Remarkably, the introduction of the tinted glass tax is timed to coincide with the period when the National Assembly is in recess. So, aggrieved Nigerians cannot even appeal to their legislators to step in.

“The only constant star in the firmament is the President. I call on him to graciously intervene to save Nigerians from this tinted tax that can alienate his government from the people,” Olaoye added.

The Police, in a statement yesterday, noted that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, approved the October 2, 2025, new take-off date.

The Police said the decision follows a significant surge in applications via the official portal, reflecting heightened public compliance with the directive.

In the light of this, the Force said it considers it imperative to allow sufficient time for the meticulous scrutiny of applications to ensure that the permit is issued only to eligible and qualified individuals, in line with national security considerations.

The Police said the extension will also provide room for the continued fine-tuning of verification processes, both digital and physical, to maintain the integrity of the permit system and prevent abuse.

Clampdown sparks public outcry, allegations of police extortion
The renewed clampdown on vehicles with tinted glass has triggered public outcry, with motorists alleging extortion and accusing the high command of abandoning its constitutional duty of safeguarding lives and property for revenue generation.

The enforcement drew sharp criticism from commuters and civil rights advocates, who described the move as “unconstitutional” and a ploy to extort Nigerians and inflict more hardship on the masses.

National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, told The Guardian that the police have no legal grounds to compel owners of vehicles with factory-fitted tinted glass to alter them.

“The move is unconstitutional and illegal. Police can’t force cars with inbuilt tinted glass, legitimately imported and with customs duties paid, to be altered. We will challenge the illegality in court immediately,” Onwubiko vowed.

He said his association and other like-minded individuals would take the police to court tomorrow.

For many vehicle owners, the announcement has triggered widespread anxiety. Motorist Cornels Nze said the directive has “put many car owners in a panic mood,” warning it was not in the public interest.

Another motorist, Chukwukasi Christopher, accused successive police leaderships of using such policy changes as a revenue-generation tactic.

“It’s embarrassing that each time a new Inspector-General of Police comes in, they devise new ways to siphon motorists’ hard-earned money. What was wrong with the former IGP’s programme on tinted glass permits? The same exploitation is happening in the fingerprint section. If the Force is making money from these services, the government should set remittance targets like it does with Customs,” Oji said.

Despite the requirement for permits, many applicants complain that the process is riddled with technical and administrative hurdles, including frequent portal downtime, poor network connectivity, and overcrowding at police headquarters.

“The queues at state commands are unbearable, with people wasting valuable economic hours,” Oji added, urging the Force to decentralise the application process to area commands, divisions, and even police posts.