In response to the rising insecurity in the country, Abubakar ordered his men to immediately begin to arrest and prosecute motorists whose vehicles are fitted with tinted glass and those driving unregistered vehicles. He reminded politicians, military and other security personnel of the "negative security implications" of such activities, which he said infringed on relevant laws. He reiterated that this move became necessary "in view of the danger posed by indiscriminate use of tinted glass and unregistered vehicles, corroborated by recent security reports that criminal elements, including terrorists, now hide under the cover of the use of unregistered vehicles, tricycles and motorcycles to execute their nefarious trade."
These are ordinarily unassailable arguments and no one should be allowed to use an unregistered vehicle. Also, in view of the security implications, it is unthinkable to allow vehicles with heavily tinted windows and windscreens to freely ply our roads. The insecurity in the country today presents Nigeria as a failing state. Armed robbers are having a field day in many states; kidnapping has reached virtually every part of the union; communal clashes and sectarian strife flare in various places, and rival cults stage bloody daylight clashes. In some northern states, the government is competing for authority with Boko Haram terrorists and well-armed mass murderers who raid villages and public offices, leaving a bloody trail of thousands of dead people in the last few years. In their operations, these criminals use vehicles, tricycles, motorbikes and don military or police uniform. The police, therefore, deserve all the support they can get to check the alarming state of insecurity.
It is not the first time that the federal authorities have targeted users of vehicles with tinted glass. Indeed, during our long years under the military rule, the authorities had occasionally clamped down on tinted glass, green-coloured and black-coloured cars. The reasons given then, as they are now, were that it would curb insecurity and check those impersonating military personnel.
But times and circumstances have changed. The police ought to know, for instance, that modern cars, even the low-priced "people's cars", come with various shades of tint. In the United States, the tint limits range between 24 per cent and 75 per cent VLT – lower number meaning less light transmittance and darker tint. In the United Kingdom, the front windscreen must let at least 75 per cent of light through and the front side windows 70 per cent. However, it is illegal to sell or use a vehicle with heavily tinted windscreen and front windows in the UK. The Indian Supreme Court had ruled that vehicle manufacturers may produce vehicles with tinted glass, which provide for 70 per cent visual light transmission for safety glass on front and rear windscreen and 40 per cent VLT for side glass. In all these countries, there is equally a considerable threat of terrorism. Apart from the health and economic reasons that make old provisions on tinted glass bad laws in today's world, there is the issue of fundamental rights enshrined in the 1999 Constitution that supersedes any other statute.
Good sense demands discretion in the implementation of anomalous laws. A vehicle glass that is not tinted to the point of being opaque poses no security problem whatsoever. Only glass that is opaque, that prevents other road users or security personnel from seeing the occupants of the vehicle, presents a security challenge. In an op-ed article in several newspapers, police spokesman, Frank Mba, cited two laws: Regulation 66(2) of the National Traffic Regulations (1997) and the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glasses) Act as the enabling laws backing the IG's action. While the first provides that "all glasses fitted to a vehicle shall be clear and transparent to enable persons outside the vehicle to see whoever is inside," the second forbids vehicle glass fittings to be tinted or shaded or coloured even lightly.
Clearly, these are outdated laws; the one decreed in 1997, the other a former Decree 6 of 1991 that was simply adopted as an Act of the National Assembly. Vehicle manufacturers worldwide now tint virtually all cars, while Nigeria has no indigenous vehicle manufacturing base to speak of. Tinting vehicle glass became standard after years of research: It protects occupants against ultraviolet sun rays; it saves the upholstery lifespan of cars by up to 60 per cent and is said by safety experts to reduce the risk of injury in case of a crash involving breakage of glass, as tinted glass adheres together rather than crumbles easily.
The IG should rightly clamp down on opaque glass and insist that all vehicle glass show the occupants and the interior visible from the outside. But indiscriminate targeting of tinted glass that is still transparent is unreasonable. The order should be clarified so that police will target only opaque glass. The option of obtaining the IG permit is no solution; it only adds another layer of paperwork and promotes corruption as evidenced by the activities of some corrupt policemen, who extort money from hapless motorists in the name of implementing the IG's order.
While the IG should rightly be concerned about insecurity and the tricks of criminals and terrorists, he should be circumspect and avoid punishing the innocent. The National Assembly on its part should make haste and amend the laws to fit into current realities.
(Punch)
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Very well said! Instead of doing their jobs protecting the citizens of this country, they want to further oppress people. Let the IG be called to order, overhaul his operations instead of chasing shadows!
ReplyDeleteVery well said! Instead of doing their jobs protecting the citizens of this country, they want to further oppress people. Let the IG be called to order, overhaul his operations instead of chasing shadows!
ReplyDeleteThe Police is not doing their job right. All opaque Tinted cars seen should be stopped and questioned because you can see thru many tinted glasses of mordern cars.Our officers should behaved in mordernity and stop adding more problem to already bad situation that created this insurgency.
ReplyDeleteMost bomb attacks were through bikes and keke. Should those ones be tinted too? Mr I G!
ReplyDeleteEverybody just wants to impose him/herself on d nigerian populace by any means neccessary...imagine some1 quoting DECREES dat were unilaterally passed by some power-hungry,un-educated soldier during d dark ages of military rule in a democracy...shameful...d IG is saying he's d only authority dat can give permits..pls hw many has he given in d last 1 month?..even if its free?..d illiterates dat are put on d roads to enforce d law just see it as a way to extort hapless citizens...I still ask dat will d police stop n harrass a serving federal permanent secretary or minister on d road cos his windows are tinted?...not unless he wants to loose his job or get posted to d station as a station guard for d rest of his career
ReplyDeleteYou know in this country we like to use the hammer to kill a fly. Oh… so because criminals use tinted vehicles… tinted vehicles are banned. Even so criminals use other kinds of vehicles, motor cycles, tri-cycles and even go on foot. So let's ban all these mode of transportation including trekking too. I think Nigerians should learn to stand up for their rights. Where a law is known to be a violation of the constitutional provisions relating to fundamental human rights then such a law should be challenged. It took the National Assembly how many years to finally wake up from it's slumber on this law simply because it was beginning to affect its members. Anyway, as selfish as it is I am glad it's finally being reviewed at all. But we all know that this IG is an extremist. He likes taking the extreme positions on all matters whether lawful or not. While he was CP in Lagos he equally was quite extreme at enforcing this particular law. There was even a time while he was Lagos CP when women were harassed by the police for indecent dressing until Gov. Fashola came to the rescue and swore to assit any such harassed woman to sue the police.
ReplyDeleteMost of the commentators are foolish and unreasonably uninformed,if Nigeria is like some countries that mandates their graduates for a period of time to compulsory serve either in the army,navy,airforce or police.many people would have felt what this men in uniform are passing through
ReplyDeletethank you very much my dear it high time people knew the problems that our security operatives are facing Nigeria govt should wake up and deliver what is expected from them our security operative are underpaid less recruited having little or no patrol vehicles etc our system needs overhauling my dear and i want to sound this warning to people contributing to this platform that our security men are trying with the little resources at their disposal because u cant give what u dont have.
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