4 weeks ago
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Drivers successful Calabar, the superior of Cross River, person raised concerns implicit alleged harassment and conveyance impoundments by officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for not possessing tinted solid permits.
According to them, the alleged harassment, successful spite of a subsisting tribunal injunction suspending enforcement, is taking a toll connected their livelihoods. Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) connected Wednesday, the affected drivers said constabulary officers stationed successful beforehand of the Akim Police Station were stopping vehicles and demanding permits for tinted glass.
A NAN analogous who visited the country observed a squad of astir 15 policemen and postulation wardens checking for permits and impounding vehicles without them.
When approached, 1 of the officers claimed they were acting connected “orders from above” to enforce the licence policy.
One of the affected drivers, Mr John Etuk, recounted his experience, saying helium was driving from the stadium axis toward the presumption erstwhile officers flagged him down and ordered him to park.
“I parked and brought retired my papers due to the fact that they are each complete, but 1 of the officers came close, looked astatine my conveyance and said the beforehand solid is antithetic from the backmost solid and asked for a permit.
“I asked him which permit, and helium said a licence for utilizing a factory-fitted tinted glass, and I told him my conveyance solid is not tinted.
“The officer, who opened my car doorway and snatched the cardinal from the ignition said they person been ordered from supra to impound vehicles whose beforehand solid looks antithetic from the backmost glass,” helium said.
“I questioned the rationale for the harassment, lone to beryllium told by an serviceman that determination were “two types of tinted glass” — 1 that is visibly acheronian and conceals the interior, and different that is “slightly dark.”
Etuk said that though the officers could intelligibly spot wrong his vehicle, they insisted the solid was “a small dark.”
According to him, much officers joined in, shouting astatine him to “know the law” and halt “pretending to beryllium ignorant.”
When contacted astatine the scene, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) successful Cross River, DSP Irene Ugbo, advised drivers to guarantee each conveyance documents were complete.
She past requested that the telephone beryllium handed implicit to 1 of the officers astatine the scene.
Etuk said that aft a little telephone conversation, the serviceman returned his car keys but warned him to get a licence for tinted solid from the police.
The serviceman allegedly stated that the licence would outgo ₦30,000.
Another resident, Mr. Edem Udofia, told journalists that his conveyance was impounded and taken to the constabulary presumption connected the grounds that his autobus windows were excessively dark, contempt the information that the conveyance came factory-fitted that way.
“I person not gone successful yet. I americium inactive trying to find who I tin interaction to assistance maine successful this matter.
“My household depends connected that bus, if I don’t get it retired today, it means determination volition beryllium nary food,” helium said.
Speaking connected the matter, Mba Ukweni, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the constabulary had nary ineligible authorization to impound vehicles implicit tinted solid if determination was thing incriminating successful the conveyance and the indispensable documents were successful order.
“The tribunal has restrained the constabulary from impounding vehicles oregon harassing drivers implicit tinted glasses.
“They are bound by that bid and indispensable comply,” helium stated.
It volition beryllium recalled that a Federal High Court sitting successful Warri had earlier issued an interim injunction restraining NPF from enforcing the precocious reintroduced tinted solid licence policy, which was slated to instrumentality effect from Oct.2
The station Tinted solid permit: Drivers successful Calabar decry constabulary harassment appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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