The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has begun strict enforcement of vehicle tint regulations in Abuja, warning that all motorists using tinted vehicles will be arrested and prosecuted, regardless of whether they possess a permit.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, issued the warning in a video shared on X (formerly Twitter) through the Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh.
He said the renewed crackdown is part of efforts to tackle rising cases of kidnapping, armed robbery, drug trafficking, and other crimes in the capital, which he noted are often aided by the use of heavily tinted vehicles to conceal criminal activities.
According to him, the Police will not accept tinted permits as a defence during enforcement, stressing that every affected driver will be arrested and properly investigated.
“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.
He added that even motorists who present permits will still be subjected to verification to determine their eligibility.
“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,” he stated.
Sanusi also addressed cases of medical exemptions, saying such claims would be verified directly with the hospitals that issued them.
“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.
He further explained the difference between factory-fitted tints and aftermarket modifications, noting that many factory-installed tints still allow visibility into vehicles, unlike extremely dark custom tints often used to conceal occupants.
“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 explained.
The Commissioner added that intelligence gathered from investigations showed that heavily tinted vehicles had been used in several criminal activities, including kidnappings and “one-chance” operations.
He maintained that the enforcement will apply uniformly to all motorists using tinted vehicles in order to curb crime effectively in the FCT.
