Tinted glass: FCTA gives reasons for seizing vehicles with fake permits ahead deadline

The Director of Security in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Adamu Gwary, has explained why vehicles with tinted glass are being impounded in Abuja despite the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, setting October 2025 for nationwide enforcement.

Speaking on Monday during the ongoing citywide sanitation operation, Gwary, who was represented by the Director of the Command and Control Unit, Dr Peter Olumuji, said the decision was driven by security concerns.

He noted that several vehicles seized during the exercise were found to have fake permits and were often linked to crimes such as “one-chance” taxi robberies.

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“People argue that the IGP has set October 2025 for enforcement, but the reality is that criminals are exploiting fake permits to move around freely. Anyone who can forge a permit also has the potential to commit crime. We cannot ignore the security risks of allowing them to remain on our streets,” Olumuji said.

The operation also focused on illegal shanties. Over 1,000 makeshift structures were removed in Bunkoro District, near Mab Global Estate in the Gwarinpa area. The FCTA Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, who supervised the demolition, said it was part of ongoing efforts to improve security and clear the Ring Road 3 corridor.

He explained that indigenous settlements were left untouched pending consultations with the Resettlement and Compensation Department, but other illegal structures had to go because they sheltered squatters and people of unknown identity. 

He added that the cleared area falls within the alignment of the ongoing N16 road project.

Both Gwary and Galadima said the clearance and enforcement activities would continue across the FCT to safeguard lives and property, maintain order in public spaces, and reduce areas where crime could thrive.

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