The Nigeria Police Force has officially removed regulations that mandated the dismissal of unmarried female officers who became pregnant while in active service.
This was revealed by Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Aishatu Baju, during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. Baju, currently the most senior female officer in the Force, said all gender-discriminatory provisions in police regulations have been deleted.
Referencing the 2021 case of Corporal Omolola Olajide, who was dismissed in Ekiti State for being pregnant while unmarried, the AIG confirmed that such dismissals no longer occur.
“That Section 127 and any other parts of the Police Act and Regulation that discriminate based on gender have been removed, in line with the Police Act of 2020 and the ongoing police reform efforts,” she said.
Baju also highlighted the launch of the Nigeria Police Gender Policy in 2023, which aims to eliminate gender discrimination across the Force. “The Inspector-General of Police is committed to making the Nigeria Police an inclusive and equal-opportunity institution,” she added.
When asked directly whether unmarried pregnant officers are now allowed to remain in service, she responded affirmatively: “Yes.”
The dismissal of Olajide in 2021 had sparked public outrage. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) challenged the legality of the regulation in a Federal High Court, but the case was dismissed in 2022. The court ruled that officers were aware of the regulations prior to joining the Force.
The NBA later took the case to the Court of Appeal in Lagos.
In May 2024, the appellate court struck down Sections 126 and 127 of the Nigeria Police Act, declaring them void.
(Prompt news)