Tinted Glass: Drivers cry out as Police defy court order in Calabar

…Police has nary authorization to cheque tinted solid licence – Ukweni SAN 

By Ike Uchechukwu, Calabar

Motorists and conveyance owners successful Calabar, the Cross River State capital, person raised alarm implicit alleged harassment by constabulary officers and the unlawful impounding of their vehicles nether the pretext of enforcing the tinted solid permit.

Findings by Vanguard revealed that contempt an interim tribunal injunction restraining the constabulary from conducting checks for tinted solid permits, enforcement operations person continued unabated crossed Calabar and its environs.

Further probe showed that teams of policemen, peculiarly from the postulation unit, were stationed astatine respective locations, including successful beforehand of the Akim Police Station on IBB Way, Calabar.

The officers, numbering implicit ten, were seen stopping vehicles and demanding tinted solid permits. Eyewitnesses alleged that adjacent cars without tinted windows were being impounded.

One of the victims, Mr. Dave Odey, a writer successful the state, narrated his ordeal, saying helium was driving from the stadium axis toward the constabulary presumption erstwhile officers ordered him to propulsion over.

“I parked and brought retired my papers due to the fact that they were each complete, but 1 of the officers came close, looked astatine my vehicle, and said the beforehand solid was antithetic from the backmost glass. He past asked for a permit,” Odey said.

“I told him my conveyance solid is not tinted, but helium opened my car doorway and removed the cardinal from the ignition, saying they had orders from supra to impound vehicles whose beforehand solid looks antithetic from the back.”

Odey said arsenic helium tried to explicate that his conveyance was not tinted, the serviceman claimed determination were 2 types of tinted glass, 1 wholly acheronian that prevents visibility and different that is somewhat dark.

“Even though they could spot wrong my vehicle, helium said the solid was a small dark. The different officers started shouting astatine me, saying journalists who should cognize the instrumentality were pretending to beryllium ignorant,” helium added.

He further explained that erstwhile helium called DSP Irene Ugbo, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), she advised him to guarantee his documents were implicit and asked to talk with the officer. After a little discussion, his car cardinal was returned to him.

“The serviceman inactive insisted that I should get a licence for my conveyance solid from the police, claiming it costs N30,000,” Odey said.

Another resident, Mr. Emmanuel Udofia, told journalists that his conveyance was impounded and taken to the constabulary presumption due to the fact that officers claimed the solid of his autobus was excessively dark, adjacent though it was factory-fitted.

“I person not done it yet, I americium inactive trying to spot who I tin telephone to assistance me. My household depends connected that bus, and if I bash not get it retired today, determination volition beryllium nary food,” helium lamented.

Speaking connected the development, Mba Ukweni, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), condemned the constabulary action, stressing that the instrumentality does not empower them to impound vehicles oregon harass motorists implicit tinted solid erstwhile the vehicles’ documents are valid and thing incriminating is found.

“The tribunal has restrained the constabulary from impounding vehicles oregon harassing drivers connected relationship of tinted glasses. The constabulary indispensable comply with that order,” Ukweni stated.

It would beryllium recalled that a Federal High Court sitting successful Warri precocious issued an interim injunction restraining the constabulary from implementing oregon enforcing the recently announced tinted solid licence argumentation scheduled to commence connected Monday, October  2.

Efforts to scope the Police Spokesperson for absorption proved abortive arsenic but a apical Police root who spoke nether anonymity told Vanguard that they were yet to person awesome to hault the enforcement.

The station Tinted Glass: Drivers outcry retired arsenic Police defy tribunal bid successful Calabar appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.