Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Aishatu Abubakar-Baju has announced the abolition of police laws that previously mandated the dismissal of unmarried policewomen who became pregnant while on active duty.
Speaking on Channels TV on Wednesday, March 12, Abubakar-Baju, Nigeria’s highest-ranking female police officer, confirmed that discriminatory regulations against women in the Nigeria Police Force have been eliminated to promote gender inclusion.
Referencing the case of Corporal Omolola Olajide, who was dismissed in 2021 for being pregnant while unmarried, Abubakar-Baju stated, “Section 127 and any other gender-discriminatory section of the Police Act and regulations have been expunged, in line with the 2020 Police Act and ongoing police reforms.”
She highlighted that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) had introduced the Nigeria Police Gender Policy last year to ensure equal opportunities for all officers, regardless of gender.
Olajide’s dismissal had sparked widespread outrage, leading the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to challenge the legality of Section 127 in court. Although a Federal High Court initially upheld the regulation, the Court of Appeal in Lagos ruled in May 2024 to annul Sections 126 and 127 of the Police Act, officially ending the practice of dismissing unmarried pregnant officers.