Miss Omolola Olajide, a police officer from the Ekiti State Police Command, has expressed her gratitude to the Inspector-General of Police for her reinstatement to the Nigeria Police Force. Miss Olajide was dismissed in January 2021 for getting pregnant while unmarried, in accordance with Section 127 of the Police Regulations made pursuant to the Police Establishment Act 2020.
Following her dismissal, Miss Olajide, represented by the law firm of Fummi Falana, SAN, FCI Arb., filed a suit at the Akure Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court, challenging her dismissal on the grounds of gender discrimination. In a landmark judgment delivered on January 11, 2023, Justice D. K. Damulak ruled in favor of Miss Olajide, declaring the Police Regulation permitting the dismissal of unmarried pregnant police women as discriminatory, illegal, null and void.
The Inspector-General of Police appealed the decision at the Court of Appeal, but the appeal was dismissed. The Court of Appeal, per Oyewole JCA, held that the Nigerian Police cannot operate on the principle of specially moderating and regulating female officers while their male counterparts remain free from such restrictions.
Following the judgments of the National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal, Miss Olajide’s law firm appealed to the Inspector-General of Police to reinstate their client to the Nigeria Police Force. Miss Olajide has now confirmed her reinstatement and posting to her former position in the Ekiti State Police Command.
In a statement released by her law firm, Miss Olajide expressed her sincere gratitude to the Inspector-General of Police for his decision to reinstate her, acknowledging the importance of upholding the principles of fairness, equity, and the rule of law within the Nigeria Police Force.
This landmark case has set a precedent for the protection of the rights of female police officers in Nigeria and has been hailed as a significant step towards achieving gender equality in the workforce.
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