The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has rejected claims by the
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) that the motor vehicle tinted glass permit
policy is a revenue-generating scheme.
In a statement on Friday, Benjamin Hundeyin, the force
spokesperson, said the police are not a revenue-generating agency but are
legally permitted to receive funds incidental to the discharge of their
statutory duties.
The statement came in response to comments by Afam Osigwe,
NBA president, who described the enforcement of the tinted glass permit policy
as “executive recklessness” and accused the police of operating a
revenue-driven system.
Hundeyin said the policy is backed by law, citing the Motor
Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act, Laws of the Federation 2004.
He noted that section 2(3)(a) of the act empowers the
inspector-general of police to issue tinted glass permits, while section 1(2)
requires applicants to provide legitimate security or health-related reasons.
The force spokesperson described claims that the policy is
designed to generate revenue as misleading, noting that section 26(1)(f) of the
Police Act 2020 permits the force to receive funds that arise in the course of
carrying out statutory responsibilities.
He said the federal government approved the police
specialist services automation project in July 2022 to modernise service
delivery and improve national security.
Hundeyin said the project was implemented through a
public-private partnership (PPP) authorised under the Infrastructure Concession
Regulatory Commission (ICRC) Act.
He said applications for tinted glass permits are processed
online and subjected to security vetting, adding that fees collected are used
solely to maintain the technology infrastructure and data systems supporting
the process.
He also denied allegations that payments are made into
private accounts, explaining that Parkway Projects Limited—cited by the NBA—is
a Central Bank of Nigeria-licensed payment service provider engaged by the
federal government as a collection platform.
The police spokesperson argued that the indiscriminate use
of heavily tinted vehicles has facilitated criminal activities, including
kidnapping and armed robbery, and undermined traffic surveillance.
Hundeyin said the enforcement of the policy was earlier
suspended as a goodwill gesture following engagements with the NBA, not because
of any court order.
He added that no court has restrained the police from
enforcing the policy, noting that a recent application for an interim
injunction was refused by the federal high court sitting in Warri, Delta state.
He assured that any enforcement of the policy will be
professional and rights-compliant, warning that officers found extorting or
abusing authority will face disciplinary action.
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