Motorists Cry Foul as Officers Demand ₦30,000 “Permit” Despite Federal Court Ban
By Edem Archibong, Calabar
Across Calabar’s busy streets, motorists now drive with a mix of anxiety and resignation. What should be a routine commute through the city’s tree-lined roads has become a daily gamble with the law — or, more precisely, with those sworn to uphold it.
In recent weeks, the Nigeria Police Force in Cross River State has come under intense criticism for what many residents describe as blatant disregard for the rule of law regarding the enforcement of tinted glass regulations.
Police traffic wardens and other uniformed officers have reportedly taken over major routes in the capital, stopping vehicles they deem to have “tinted” windows — even those with factory-fitted shades.
Eyewitnesses say the officers block lanes, order motorists to pull over, and demand both vehicle documents and a “tinted glass permit.” Those unable to produce one are allegedly forced to pay between ₦20,000 and ₦30,000 before their cars are released.
For many, the experience has been humiliating. One journalist, Mr. John Osakwe, shared his ordeal after being stopped on Marian Road. According to him, his vehicle does not have tinted windows, but the officers insisted the glass appeared “too dark.”
“I showed them all my documents, but they said I must buy a tinted permit,” Osakwe said. “Before I could say Jack Robinson, they had already impounded dozens of cars. It was chaos.”
By midweek, over 500 vehicles were said to have been seized in different parts of Calabar, as angry motorists accused the police of turning a lawful exercise into an extortion racket.
Another victim, Mrs. Emma Offiong, Chairperson of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, narrated how she was detained for hours even after explaining that her car’s windows were factory-fitted.
“They told me to pay ₦30,000 or forget about driving away,” she said. “It took the intervention of the Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, on phone before they finally released me.”
Legal experts have condemned the police action, calling it a flagrant violation of a subsisting court order. Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Mba Ukweni, faulted the continued harassment of motorists despite a Federal High Court ruling on the matter.
“The police have no authority to impound vehicles simply because their windows appear dark,” Ukweni said. “If the vehicle documents are in order and nothing incriminating is found, there is no justification for such harassment.”
He reminded the police that a Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, had granted an interim injunction restraining them from enforcing the so-called tinted glass permit policy nationwide.
According to him, that judgment remains binding on all law enforcement agencies until it is vacated or set aside by a higher court.
“What we see in Calabar today is open contempt of court,” he warned. “The police must obey the law, not twist it for revenue or personal gain.”
Meanwhile, public outrage continues to swell across the state, as motorists call on Governor Bassey Otu and the state’s Police Command to intervene and halt the growing abuse.
For now, fear has replaced calm on Calabar’s once-friendly roads. As officers wave down vehicles and inspect windshields under the scorching sun, many drivers whisper the same weary question — who will police the police?
