The way thing works in our nation leaves a lot of room for
manipulations and back door shenanigans.
Earlier this year, the Minister of Police Affairs, Mr.
Humphrey Abah, directed the police to commence the enforcement of the law
prohibiting tinted vehicles nationwide as a measure to check use of such
vehicles to commit crime, especially kidnapping and transportation of explosive
devices and arms.
With effect from February 28, 2011, owners of tinted
vehicles would be made to remove them as stated in the law CAP M21, Motor
vehicle prohibiting tinted Glass Act which forbids use of heavily filmed cars
on Nigerian roads.
He said and i quote (as found in the dailies)
"However, cars with factory-fitted tinted glasses are
exempted from the directive"
The minister stated that only the President, his vice,
governors, the Senate President, his deputy and majority leader as well as the
Speaker, House of Representatives were permitted to use tinted cars in the
country.
Nowhere in the directive is the issue of obtaining permit
for factory-fitted tinted glasses mentioned and this is the loop hole being
used to exploit Nigerians.
In the last few months i have been stopped a couple of times
by the police and i have been asked for my tinted glass permit. The latest of
such stoppages occurred yesterday and the police man categorically told me
permit for tinted glasses are still in existence and I should go and obtain one
for 15,000 Naira.
So I ask, is it legal to obtain permits for tinted glasses?
If yes, who do you obtain the permits from? FRSC, FIRS,
Police, LIRS who ?
If no, why is there no law stating this categorically?
Why do the police harass innocent people?
In my exchange with the policeman yesterday, he said
"Oga if you cannot obtain a permit, then change you
glass to plain glass"
1. The law does not require factory fitted glasses to change
anything
2. I drive a sienna and Toyota does not make plain glasses
for sienna (At least I am yet to see one of such, but I stand to be corrected.
My area of interest is the comment "However, cars with
factory-fitted tinted glasses are exempted from the directive" as this personally
affects me.
Excerpts from an interview with a police spokesperson.
ReplyDelete"But the Police Force spokesman, Mr. Sola Amore, said the IG’s order did not affect factory-fitted tinted glass.
He said, “I don’t think any policeman will harass anybody who did it the right way. The order is simple; any vehicle with factory-fitted tinted glass should get a police permit in line with Tinted Glass Act of 1991. So, any new car with the permit is not affected and policemen should not disturb the owner."
The Minister of Police Affairs, Mr. Humphrey Abah said that "cars with factory-fitted tinted glasses were exempted from the directive, therefore all permits given in respect of tinted glasses were hereby cancelled" http://www.nigerianbestforum.com/index.php?topic=110191.0
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