Sunday Abutu, the Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, has said the force is backed by law in its sacking of Olajide Omolola, a female corporal, who was dismissed for getting pregnant out of wedlock.
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“It was Police Act Section 124 that was repealed by the court, not Section 127. Section 127 still stands. Section 124 talks about women police taking permission from the commissioner before getting married. Section 127 says any police officer who is unmarried and eventually gets pregnant shall be disengaged from the Force. It is in the police act and regulation. It is a regimented organisation and we have our rules and regulations which everyone must comply with,” he said.
However, Innocent Chukwuma, who is Regional Director, Ford Foundation, West Africa, said the aspect of the act used in Olajide’s dismissal has been repealed in the revised Police Act signed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the law has however not been gazette.
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“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,” The Punch quoted him to have said.
The police, in a wireless message with reference number CJ:4161/EKS/IY/Vol.2/236, DTO:181330/01/2021 obtained by PUNCH Metro, 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 is based.
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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.
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