Insecurity: FCT Police To Arrest Tinted Vehicle Owners Despite Valid Permits

The FCT Police Command has commenced enforcement of vehicle tint regulations in the capital city, warning that drivers of tinted vehicles face arrest and prosecution regardless of permit ownership.

Ahmed Sanusi, the FCT Command’s Commissioner of Police, issued the warning on Thursday in a video shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh.

According to Sanusi, the renewed enforcement of the campaign against tinted vehicles is aimed at curbing crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery, drug trafficking and other criminal activities in the nation’s capital.

“There is a total ban on the usage of tinted vehicles. We’re not looking at whether you have a tinted permit or you don’t have a tinted permit. Whether you have permit or not, if we get to you with your tinted vehicle, we will arrest you,” he said.

Sanusi argued that criminals often exploit tinted vehicles to conceal their identities and operations, making it difficult for law enforcement agencies and the public to detect criminal activities.

“Even if you show us that you have permit, we will investigate you whether you even qualify in the first place to have applied for that permit or to even use the tinted vehicle,” Sanusi stated.

“We will not allow criminals to hide under the fact that they have obtained tinted permits and then go on committing crimes of kidnapping, transportation of drugs, arms and ammunition,” he added.

Speaking regarding motorists who rely on medical grounds to justify using tinted vehicles, Sanusi explained that the Police Command will verify such claims with the issuing hospitals.

“It is up to you to prove to us. If you give us your results that recommend that you should use such type of vehicle, we’ll verify from the hospitals that gave that to you. All we want is evidence,” he said.

While distinguishing factory-fitted tints from heavily darkened aftermarket modifications, the CP noted that many factory-fitted tinted windows still allow clear visibility into vehicles.

“You may wish to ask that some vehicles come with factory-fitted tinted glasses. But I will tell you that most factory-fitted vehicles are tinted in such a way that at a glance you will see what is inside, unlike some of the deep tints that are manually installed,” he said.

Sanusi further explained that heavily tinted vehicles were involved in numerous criminal cases investigated by the command, including kidnappings and ‘one-chance’ operations.

“People have been carried in tinted vehicles unnoticed. So we said it has to stop. It must stop, and the only way to stop it is to go after all tinted vehicles, not separating those who have permits from those who don’t. We’ll go after all equally,” Sanusi said.

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