The court of appeal in Lagos has voided the regulations 126 and 127 of the Nigeria Police Act which allow the dismissal of unmarried police women who become pregnant while in service.
A three-member panel of justices led by Olubunmi Oyewole ordered the respondents in the suit, namely the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Police Service Commission, PSC, and the Nigerian Police Force, to carry out a comprehensive review of the entire police regulations to ensure that they align with the demands of a modern society operating under the rule of law.
The justices held that regulations 126 and 127 are inconsistent with the provisions of section 37 and 42 of the Constitution and are therefore null and void to the extent of their inconsistency pursuant to section 1 (3) of the Constitution.
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Recall that Omolola Olajide, an unmarried police corporal attached to Iye-Ekiti station, was sacked in 2021 for being pregnant, and Babatunde Mobayo, the state commissioner of police, justifying Olajide’s sack, said that the officer contravened section 127 of the police regulations.
Following the sack, Olawale Fapohunda, Ekiti Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, instituted a lawsuit before a Federal High Court in the state, seeking an order to nullify section 127 of the Police Act.
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