The Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Decree No. 6 of 1991 was signed by President Ibrahim Babangida on 8 February 1991. It survived the transition to civilian rule and is codified as Cap. M21, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. Despite a persistent rumour that the prohibition is merely a police circular, the primary text is a federal Act of the National Assembly — searchable on CommonLII, LawCare Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Justice compendium.
The Act has six sections. Section 1 permits tint only with the written authorisation of the Inspector-General of Police. Section 2 prohibits all other tinting. Section 4 prescribes a fine, six months imprisonment, or both, plus forfeiture of the vehicle.
In practice the law produced a permit market rather than a public-safety regime. Until 2021 permits were issued manually by police commands; the going rate at force HQ in Abuja and at state commands ran from ₦5,000 to upwards of ₦150,000 depending on the officer and the vehicle. In September 2021 the Force introduced POSSAP (Police Special Service Automation Portal) to digitise permit issuance, but field officers continued to demand cash settlements at checkpoints from drivers carrying valid POSSAP printouts.
In Ozekhome v. Inspector-General of Police (FHC/ABJ/CS/963/2019, judgment 2020) the Federal High Court restrained the police from arresting or detaining motorists with tinted glass without first obtaining a court conviction — a ruling the force has, in the main, ignored. The decree has been repeatedly criticised by the Nigerian Bar Association and SERAP as both anachronistic (most modern vehicles ship with manufacturer-tinted UV-protective glass) and as one of the most reliable revenue streams in the daily checkpoint economy.
Footnote — how this law can be removed or repealed.
As a federal statute now codified in the LFN 2004, the Tinted Glass Decree can be removed by any one of three routes:
- Legislative repeal. An Act of the National Assembly under section 58 of the 1999 Constitution, requiring a simple majority of each chamber and the President's assent (or an override by two-thirds of each chamber). A private member's repeal bill needs only first reading to be placed on the order paper.
- Constitutional challenge. A citizen can apply at the Federal High Court under section 46 of the Constitution and the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009 for a declaration that specific sections offend the rights to liberty, privacy and freedom of movement (sections 35, 37, 41). The Ozekhome judgment is precedent for partial relief on enforcement, but the substantive prohibition has never been adjudicated to the Supreme Court.
- Executive disapplication. The Inspector-General of Police, who controls the permit regime under section 1, can issue a force order liberalising or suspending enforcement. This is administratively reversible and not a true repeal.