Police boss provides update on Law sacking unmarried pregnant policewomen from Force
Police boss provides update on Law sacking unmarried pregnant policewomen from Force
Law dismissing unmarried pregnant policewomen abolished – AIG
In a major shift for the Nigeria Police Force, Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) Aishatu Baju announced that outdated regulations mandating the dismissal of unmarried policewomen who become pregnant while on active duty have now been abolished.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, AIG Baju explained that discriminatory laws against women in the force have been removed and are being revised to ensure greater inclusion.
The announcement came in response to a question about the case of Omolola Olajide, an unmarried police corporal in Ekiti State who was dismissed in 2021 for becoming pregnant.
Addressing this, AIG Baju clarified that such dismissals are no longer permitted, signaling a significant policy change within the police force.
“That Section 127 and any section of the Police Act and regulation that has gender discrimination have been expunged, looking at the Police Act of 2020 and the police reform that is currently going on.
“The IGP (Inspector General of Police) has just last year launched the Nigeria Police Gender Policy just to make sure that there is complete eradication of any form of gender discrimination.
“I can tell you that the Nigeria Police has come of age, and the IG is intentional about inclusivity and making sure that the Nigeria Police is an equal opportunity institution,” she added.
When directly asked if unmarried female police officers who become pregnant would still face dismissal, Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) Aishatu Baju gave a clear response: “Yes.”
This statement comes after the controversial dismissal of Omolola Olajide, a police corporal in Ekiti State, in 2021, which sparked widespread outrage.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) subsequently challenged the legality of Section 127 of the police regulations in a Federal High Court in Abuja.
However, in February 2022, the court dismissed the case, ruling that officers were aware of the regulation at the time of their recruitment and that the lawsuit lacked merit.
