The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has officially repealed laws calling for the dismissal of unmarried female officers who become pregnant while on active service. The assurance was provided by Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Aishatu Abubakar-Baju, the senior-most female police officer, while appearing on Channels TV for an interview on Wednesday, March 12.
Abubakar-Baju clarified that all gender discriminatory provisions in police laws, including Section 127 of the Police Act, have been removed under ongoing reforms to uphold gender equality within the force. Queried about the case of Omolola Olajide, the single police corporal who was dismissed in 2021 for getting pregnant, Abubakar-Baju confirmed that such policies are no longer in place.
It is evident that Section 127 and all other sections of the Police Act and regulations that promote gender discrimination have been expunged,” she said.
“With the Police Act of 2020 and reforms, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has launched the Nigeria Police Gender Policy for the complete removal of discrimination.
She also reaffirmed that the police force is committed to being an equal-opportunity organization under the current IGP. Olajide’s sacking in 2021 caused an outrage among the public, and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) took Section 127 to court for questioning its legality.
Despite one of the Federal High Courts in Abuja striking out the case as lacking merit—holding that police officers knew the law before being admitted into the force—the NBA did not give up. In May 2024, the Court of Appeal in Lagos overturned the ruling that Sections 126 and 127 of the Nigeria Police Act are null and void. The ruling was a big victory for gender rights and workplace equality for the police.
