Drivers in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, have raised concerns over alleged harassment and vehicle impoundments by officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for lacking tinted glass permits.
According to them, the alleged harassment in spite of a subsisting court injunction suspending enforcement, is taking a toll on their livelihoods.
Speaking on Wednesday, affected drivers said police officers stationed in front of the Akim Police Station were stopping vehicles and demanding tinted glass permits.
A team of about 15 policemen and traffic wardens were seen checking for permits and impounding vehicles without permits.
When approached, one of the officers claimed they were acting on “orders from above” to enforce the permit policy.
One of the affected drivers, Mr John Etuk, recounted his experience, saying he was driving from the stadium axis toward the station when officers flagged him down and ordered him to park.
“I parked and brought out my papers because they are all complete but one of the officers came close, looked at my vehicle and said the front glass is different from the back glass and asked for a permit.
“I asked him which permit and he said permit for using a factory-fitted tinted glass and I told him my vehicle glass is not tinted.
“The officer, who opened my car door and snatched the key from the ignition, said they have been ordered from above to impound vehicles whose front glass looks different from the back glass,” he said.
“I questioned the rationale for the harassment, only to be told by an officer that there were “two types of tinted glass” — one that is visibly dark and conceals the interior, and another that is “slightly dark.”
Etuk said although the officers could clearly see inside his vehicle, they insisted the glass was “a little dark.”
According to him, more officers joined in, shouting at him to “know the law” and stop “pretending to be ignorant.”
When contacted at the scene, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Cross River, DSP Irene Ugbo, advised drivers to ensure all vehicle documents were complete.
She then requested the phone be handed over to one of the officers at the scene.
Etuk said after a brief phone conversation, the officer returned his car keys but warned him to obtain a tinted glass permit from the police.
The officer allegedly stated that the permit would cost N30,000.
Another resident, Mr Edem Udofia, told journalists his vehicle was impounded and taken into the police station on claims that his bus windows were too dark — in spite of the fact that the vehicle came factory-fitted that way.
“I have not gone in yet, I am still trying to see who I can call to help me in the matter.
“My family depends on that bus, if I don’t get it out today, it means there will be no food,” he said.
Mba Ukweni, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the police had no legal authority to impound vehicles over tinted glass if there was nothing incriminating in the vehicle and the necessary documents were in order.
“The court has restrained the police from impounding vehicles or harassing drivers over tinted glasses.
“They are bound by that order and must comply,” he stated.
It will be recalled that a Federal High Court sitting in Warri had earlier issued an interim injunction restraining NPF from enforcing the recently reintroduced tinted glass permit policy, which was slated to take effect from October 2.
