The Ekiti State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Olawale Fapohunda, has sued the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu, over the sacking of a pregnant policewoman.
Olajide Omolola was said to have completed police training on April 24, 2020, and was thereafter deployed to Iye Ekiti in Ekiti State.
She was however sacked by the force for getting pregnant. This is contained in a police wireless message with reference number CJ:4161/EKS/IY/Vol.2/236, DTO:181330/01/2021.
Justifying Olajide’s sack, the Ekiti State Police Commissioner, Babatunde Mobayo has insisted that the sack of Police Constable for getting pregnant in service without due authorization followed due process.
Mobayo submitted that Omolola violated section 127 of the police regulation, and her sack is based on the provision of the law.
But the Ekiti AG, in the suit filed at the federal high court, Ado Ekiti, is seeking “an order of court declaring Section 127 of the Police Act and Regulations which provides for the discharge from the Police Force, women police officers who become pregnant while unmarried unconstitutional”.
The Ekiti state commissioner of police and the police service commission are joined as co-defendants in the suit, according to a statement by Olalekan Suleman, special assistant to the state AG on media.
“The suit is asking the court to determine among others: whether the provisions of Section 127 of Police Act and Regulations are not in violation of the combined provisions of Sections 37 and 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), and Articles 2,3, 5 18(3) and 19 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and therefore unconstitutional, null and void,” the statement read.
“An order nullifying Section 127 of Police Act and Regulations as well as an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Inspector General of Police, the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police and the Police Service Commission from implementing the said provisions.”
