Unmarried Nigerian police officers were subject to a rule that prevented them from becoming pregnant and guaranteed their dismissal if they did.
A judge found in a landmark case that the legislation was discriminatory since it did not apply to male officers who impregnated their coworkers.
An officer who was fired in 2021 after becoming pregnant launched the lawsuit.
She afterwards received a payout of 5 million naira (£9,100).
The former police officer, whose name in Nigerian media is Omolola Olajide, claimed that it was discriminatory to fire her since under the same circumstances, her male coworkers are not dismissed.
Ms. Olajide received compensation for the breach of her fundamental right to be free from discrimination, but she will not be given her old work back because she was still on probation when she was fired.
Justice Dashe Damulak declared the regulation to be “discriminatory, illegal, null and void” and overturned it in a ruling in the south-western city of Akure.
The judge ruled that the regulation “violates sections of the Nigerian constitution as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights Ratification and Enforcement Act, which abolished discrimination on basis of gender”.
Nigerian police officers
Although the judgement has not yet received a response from the Nigerian police, analysts believe it could have significant ramifications for other organizations with similar rules.
Author-Roberta Appiah
