By Frank Ulom
CALABAR (CONVERSEER) – Drivers and vehicle owners in Cross River State have decried alleged harassment by police officers over tinted-glass permits.
The motorists also decried the unlawful impounding of their vehicles by the police under the claim of enforcing the Tinted Glass Permit Policy.
Reports indicate that Calabar, the state capital, is a hot spot for the alleged harassment. Locations like IBB Way, in front of Akim Police Station, Ekong Etta, Etta-Agbor, and others, where mounted policemen, particularly from the traffic unit, who were enforcing the said policy, which has been restrained by an interim court injunction.
In front of Akim Police by IBB, police officers, numbering over ten, were seen stopping vehicles and demanding tinted glass permits, with eyewitnesses alleging that even cars without tinted windows were being impounded.
According to Vanguard, one of the victims, Dave Odey, a journalist in the state, narrated his ordeal, saying he was driving from the stadium axis toward the police station when officers ordered him to pull over.
“I parked and brought out my papers because they were all complete, but one of the officers came close, looked at my vehicle, and said the front glass was different from the back glass. He then asked for a permit,” Odey said.
“I told him my vehicle glass is not tinted, but he opened my car door and removed the key from the ignition, saying they had orders from above to impound vehicles whose front glass looks different from the back.”
Odey said as he tried to explain that his vehicle was not tinted, the officer claimed there were two types of tinted glass, one completely dark that prevents visibility and another that is slightly dark.
“Even though they could see inside my vehicle, he said the glass was a little dark. The other officers started shouting at me, saying journalists who should know the law were pretending to be ignorant,” he added.
He further explained that when he called SP Irene Ugbo-Obase, the State’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), she advised him to ensure his documents were complete and asked him to speak with the officer. After a brief discussion, his car key was returned to him.
“The officer still insisted that I should obtain a permit for my vehicle glass from the police, claiming it costs N30,000,” Odey said.
Another resident, Edem Udofia, told journalists that his vehicle was impounded and taken to the police station because officers claimed the glass of his bus was too dark, even though it was factory-fitted.
“I have not gone in yet, I am still trying to see who I can call to help me. My family depends on that bus, and if I do not get it out today, there will be no food,” he lamented.
Speaking on the development, Mba Ukweni, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), condemned the police action, stressing that the law does not empower them to impound vehicles or harass motorists over tinted glass when the vehicles’ documents are valid and nothing incriminating is found.
“The court has restrained the police from impounding vehicles or harassing drivers on account of tinted glasses. The police must comply with that order,” Ukweni stated.
Recall that a Federal High Court sitting in Warri recently issued an interim injunction restraining the police from implementing or enforcing the newly announced tinted glass permit policy scheduled to commence on Monday, 2nd October.
SaharaReporters on Wednesday reported that the police have suspended the enforcement of the vehicle tinted glass permit.
According to the paper, the suspension notice was disclosed by the spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, Josephine Adeh, during a live interview on AIT on Wednesday.
Converseer reports that the police had earlier pegged the Tinted Glass Permit amount at N14,200. Those interested could apply via the POSSAP website of any State Command in the country.
