Police IG's Misguided Idea on Tinted Glasses

Nigeria’s security issues do not come from tinted glass. They come from weak intelligence, poor policing, bad investigations, corruption in security, weak deterrents, and inconsistent law enforcement.

I saw reports where the Inspector General of Police, Mr Tunde Disu, said he might ban fully tinted vehicles in Nigeria.

He justified this by saying that when he was the FCT Police Commissioner, 26 out of 27 vehicles used by “One Chance” gangs had tinted windows.

If this is true, that reasoning is worryingly shallow for a policy that affects the whole country.

Just because criminals like a certain tool does not make that tool bad. Criminals also use phones, motorcycles, cash, bank accounts, caps, and regular cars. No serious lawmaker thinks those things should be banned. Public policy must know the difference between correlation and causation.

Tinted glass is useful for many reasons. It protects people from heat and sun. It gives privacy in a society where crime is a worry. It keeps passengers, women, children, officials, and ordinary people, from being exposed during traffic jams and public transport.

Having privacy does not mean someone is a criminal. Privacy is a constitutional right because everyone deserves spaces that are not always under watch. That is why homes have curtains, bathrooms have doors, and offices have partitions.

Another issue that needs attention is how tinted glass keeps coming up with different police leaders in Nigeria. Drivers are often asked to get permits, follow changing rules, and deal with varying expectations. Many comply, only to find out that the rules change again when new leaders come.

The permit system raises big questions. What is the permit really for? The police cannot know at the time of application if someone will commit a crime later. Once given, the owner can use the vehicle legally or illegally. The permit does not stop criminal intent or catch criminals.

At best, the permit is just a record. At worst, it becomes a fake security measure. It adds to the many rules Nigerians have to follow.

The daily reality on Nigerian roads is more troubling. Tinted permits often lead to being stopped, questioned, and harassed. Law-abiding drivers feel like suspects instead of citizens making legal choices. Security should build trust, not make people feel like they are always being watched by the police.

A policy that increases stops without clear security benefits risks becoming a source of conflict between citizens and the police.

The state already has the legal power to stop and search vehicles if there is reasonable suspicion. Those powers should be used well and not be an excuse for broad limits on lawful actions.

Even the facts do not support this argument. The FCT has a lot of government officials, diplomats, and business leaders who usually travel in tinted cars. Police and military leaders themselves use tinted official vehicles.

Out of hundreds of thousands of tinted cars, using 26 criminal cases to justify a broad ban is not smart policymaking. It is anecdotal evidence turned into law.

If this logic is accepted, where do we stop? Many crimes happen in regular cars. Trucks can hide whole areas from view. Vans and buses are often used in kidnappings and thefts. But no one suggests banning them. Security problems should not become reasons to take away freedoms.

Will the proposed ban allow the president, governors, top officials, police, military leaders, and diplomats to keep using tinted vehicles? That would create two sets of laws, making it seem like the law does not apply to everyone equally. This shows the absurdity in the IG’s thinking.

One common mistake in strict governments is thinking that freedom gets in the way of security. They believe cutting freedom brings security. History shows the opposite: societies that give up freedom for fake controls often end up with less freedom and no real security.

Nigeria’s security issues do not come from tinted glass. They come from weak intelligence, poor policing, bad investigations, corruption in security, weak deterrents, and inconsistent law enforcement.

If law enforcement is weak, then improve it. If criminals take advantage of vehicle anonymity, then boost intelligence and tracking. But banning lawful privacy because criminals also want it is not good policing or real public policy.

I urge the Minister of Police Affairs, civil society groups, and concerned Nigerians to convince the IG to drop this flawed idea. Security measures should be based on evidence, fair, and respect our freedoms.

Nigeria deserves real policing, not empty regulations.