The Nigeria Police has sacked a female corporal, Olajide Omolola, for allegedly getting pregnant out of wedlock.
Nigerians expressed displeasure over what they described as a discriminatory law and called on rights group to fight for the woman.
The police, in a wireless message with reference number CJ:4161/EKS/IY/Vol.2/236, DTO:181330/01/2021, said Omolola was dismissed for getting pregnant while unmarried.
The signal originated from the Department of Finance and Administration in Ado Ekiti and was addressed to the Divisional Police Officer at Iye Ekiti, where Omolola was based.
The chief financial officer in Ekiti was asked to relay the information to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System to ensure that her salary was stopped.
The document read, “Section 127 of the Police Act and Regulation against women police getting pregnant before marriage; W/PC (woman corporal) Olajide Omolola passed out of Police Training School on 24/04/2020 attached to yours, contravened above provisions.
“She stands dismissed from the Force. Dekit her. Retrieve police documents in her possession with immediate effect. O/C CFO Ekiti only. You are to relay signal to IPPIS Abuja for the stoppage of her salary with immediate effect.
“DECOMPOLS (Deputy Commissioners of Police)/ACPOLS (Assistant Commissioners of Police)/HODs/DPOs Ekiti State only. You are to lecture women police. Treat as very urgent.”
It was gathered that the aspect of the Act relied on to justify the sacking had been repealed in the amended police Act signed into law by President, Muhammadu Buhari in September 2020.
Part of the old law, which has been repealed, also made it compulsory for policewomen to seek the permission of their superiors before getting married.
A champion of police reforms in Nigeria, Dr Innocent Chukwuma, who is also the Regional Director for Ford Foundation, West Africa, confirmed that the aspect of the Act which barred unmarried policewomen from getting pregnant had been repealed.
Chukwuma, however, said the law had not yet been gazetted, hence the ignorance of its provisions by the police.
“But it doesn’t mean it should not be upheld. Gazetting is a mere administrative process. It entails officially publishing and making it available to all stakeholders and government establishments. Until that is done, they are usually reluctant to uphold the law,” he added.
