The President, Women Arise for Change Initiative, Joe
Okei-Odumakin, has urged the Inspector-General Police, Mohammed Adamu, to sack
all policemen who impregnated women out of wedlock.
Okei-Odumakin was reacting to the sacking of an unmarried
female corporal, Olajide Omolola, who was dismissed for getting pregnant.
The activist, who spoke on a PUNCH Live programme on
Thursday, described the dismissal of Omolola as “pure discrimination”.
According to her, many male operatives in the Nigeria Police
Force have at one time or the other impregnated ladies whom they were not
married to.
She stressed that the Force must respect the equality of
rights, and accord same regard to both genders in the Force.
Okei-Odumakin said, “It is quite insensitive. The decision
of the police authorities typifies the assault encountered by the average
Nigerian woman in their workplace. We should be able to interrogate the system
and also find out if the leadership within the system can also provide the
number of men within the police force who have impregnated women out of wedlock
and that have also served similar punishment.”
She noted that “it is quite sad knowing that at this point
in the history of our country, an institution like the Nigeria Police Force”
could slam such heavy punishment on a policewoman.
They slammed the police 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 the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), 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.
But Okei-Odumakin said, “To justify her sack is really very
sad. Our institutions must respect the equality of rights.”
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