Court stops IGP from enforcing tinted glass permit policy

A Delta State High Court sitting in Orerokpe, on Wednesday, issued an interim order restraining the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, and their officers from enforcing the Tinted Glass Permit Policy pending the determination of a substantive suit.

The court also scheduled the hearing of the suit filed by a human rights activist, Comrade Israel Joe, for Wednesday, December 24.

Comrade Joe instituted the action, marked Suit No: HOR/FHR/M/31/2025, against the IGP and the Delta State Commissioner of Police. He was represented by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kunle Edun.

In the application, the claimant sought an interim injunction restraining the respondents, their officers, agents, or privies from implementing or enforcing the Tinted Glass Permit Policy, which is scheduled to commence on January 2, 2026, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

He also asked the court to bar the respondents from stopping, harassing, arresting, detaining, extorting, or otherwise infringing on the constitutional rights to dignity, privacy, freedom of movement, and property ownership of the applicant and other motorists under the guise of enforcing the policy.

Additionally, the applicant prayed the court to restrain the police authorities from using a private contractor’s account, identified as Parkway Projects Account, for conducting government business pending the outcome of the substantive suit. He further sought an order permitting substituted service on the respondents through the Delta State Police Command Headquarters in Asaba.

When the matter was called, the applicant was absent, but his counsel, Kunle Edun, SAN, appeared alongside other lawyers.

In a ruling delivered by the presiding judge, Justice Joe Egwu, the court granted the motion ex parte as prayed and adjourned the matter to December 24, 2025, for hearing.

Reacting to the ruling, Comrade Joe described the decision as a victory for democracy and urged the Inspector-General of Police to comply fully with the court order and abandon any planned enforcement of the policy.