Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Aishatu Abubakar-Baju has announced that police laws and regulations mandating the dismissal of unmarried policewomen who become pregnant while in active service have been removed.
She confirmed that gender-discriminatory laws within the Nigeria Police Force have been eliminated, marking a significant change in the force’s policies.
When asked about the case of Omolola Olajide, an unmarried police corporal in Ekiti State who was dismissed in 2021 for being pregnant, the AIG stated that unmarried policewomen are no longer dismissed for pregnancy while in service. “Section 127 and any other parts of the Police Act and regulations that discriminated based on gender have been expunged, following the Police Act of 2020 and the ongoing police reforms,” Abubakar-Baju explained.
She added, “The Nigeria Police has come of age, and the Inspector General is intentional about inclusivity, ensuring the Police Force is an equal-opportunity institution.”
When directly asked whether the police no longer dismiss unmarried female officers who become pregnant, AIG Abubakar-Baju affirmed, “Yes.”
Olajide’s dismissal in 2021 sparked significant controversy, with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) challenging the legality of Section 127 of the police regulations in a Federal High Court in Abuja. However, the court dismissed the suit, ruling that the officers were aware of the regulations before joining the Force.
Undeterred, the NBA took the matter to the Court of Appeal in Lagos, which in May 2024, ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, invalidating regulations 126 and 127 of the Nigeria Police Act that allowed the dismissal of unmarried policewomen who became pregnant while in service.
