Tinted Glass Permit: August 12 Deadline Nears, Two days to go.

If you own a car with tinted windows in Nigeria, you probably already know there’s a deadline hanging over your head — August 12, 2025. That is when vehicle owners are expected to either obtain or regularise their tinted glass permits. But with just two days to go, the Nigeria Police Force has gone completely silent on how they plan to enforce this rule.

This all started back on May 1, 2025, when the police reactivated their digital tinted glass permit platform after years of complaints about abuse, extortion, and random arrests tied to tinted vehicles.

According to the police, the revamped system was supposed to: Make applications easier, increase transparency, Improve security, especially in cases where tinted vehicles are used to hide occupants’ identities.

To make the transition smoother, they gave motorists a 30-day grace period starting May 1. Force PRO, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, even promised that officers caught harassing or extorting drivers during enforcement would be punished.

But that first grace period didn’t last. Complaints poured in about slow processing, poor accessibility for rural motorists, and problems for people without internet access. The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, extended the deadline to August 12 to make the process more “citizen-friendly.”

Now, the extended deadline is just 48 hours away… and there’s still no word on what enforcement will look like after it expires.

This uncertainty is feeding fears that officers might take advantage of the situation — a concern rooted in Nigeria’s long history of heavy-handed roadside enforcement.

When asked for clarification, Adejobi simply said: “We will speak on it soon.”

“The police should be sending reminders, not leaving everyone in suspense. They might use this as an opportunity to extort money. My advice? Get the permit now to avoid trouble.”

Samuel, a commercial driver, has been avoiding routes with checkpoints altogether:

“They should tell us if we still have to apply now or if there’s another extension. Honestly, it should have been free — why pay for something that came with the car?”

And for Wale Daniel, whose tint came as a default feature on his car, paying for a permit feels pointless:

“If I don’t remove it now, the police will disturb me. I’m not using it for anything — it came like that when I bought the car.”

As of now, no one knows. Will enforcement begin immediately on August 13? Will there be another extension? Or will the police roll out a phased plan?

One thing’s clear — motorists aren’t just worried about the cost or the process. They’re worried about the uncertainty itself.