The most senior female police officer in Nigeria, Assistant Inspector General Aishatu Abubakar-Baju, is She discusses her remarkable journey, the advancements of the Force, and all-inclusive policing policies on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief program.
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Tell us about your journey for the young girls who see you and believe it all happened.
Thank you very much, I suppose. We are celebrating a lot when we talk about celebrations. Before I get into the details of my own life, I want to let you know that Nigeria has celebrated 70 years of female police officers. In April 1955, the first female officers to join the Nigerian Police Force enlisted. This year is the 70th. We can look forward to that celebration.
Tell us about your life.
I was born in Adamawa State with my maternal grandmother and came from a very modest family in the beautiful city of Biu in Borno State. Even though my grandmother never attended a formal school, she raised me as a matron in a secondary school.
I was raised as a matron, someone who was passionate about education. I was accepted to Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria after finishing my primary and secondary education, and I then enrolled in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. I received my NYSC degree in 1995.
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I do my NYSC with the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja, which coincidentally, I think ends very well because I did that job and immediately fell in love with it.
I trained at the Ikeja Police College as an Assistant Superintendent of Police. I’m a person of my background who has always enjoyed going to school, and the police have given me the opportunity to grow even more.
I was accepted to the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom to pursue my PhD, and I received a grant from UNESCO L’Oréal to fund the Young Women in Science Fellowship program. One of the 14 women in the world who received the fellowship to support my PhD work was me. I returned, and my Master’s in Security and Strategic Studies is almost complete.
As I grew in the ranks, I also took different policing training. I’ve taken a lot of other policing courses both domestically and abroad, including the Junior and Intermediate Command Course at the Staff College in Jos. I’m grateful for the police giving me the chance to grow as a person.
We have three kids, and I’m happily married. So, working, becoming a police officer, having a wife, and finally becoming a career woman.
You should be working for the Nigeria Police Force for 30 years. You mentioned 70 years of female police service in the Nigerian Police Force, but I understand you joined in 1995. Should someone like you be expected?
The President has the sole discretion over the Inspector General of Police’s position. The Federal Republic of Nigeria’s president determines who to represent. There can be only one IG in the office at any given time. The Nigeria Police Force’s policy of giving women opportunities to grow and to develop themselves is the most crucial aspect. If you take a look at my own story, I received a DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) degree. I hold a PhD and a Master’s. Other credentials are mine. We have developed as a result of this, and I think it’s only a matter of time. So far, women are doing very well. There can only be one Inspector General of Police, and I don’t believe that gender is a factor. The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will, of course, choose who they feel is deserving of that position. Regardless of gender, I look at the potentials for both developing myself and contributing to your quota.
Your story is intriguing. Because, according to the majority of Nigerians, especially young Nigerians, the police force would not be one of the many professions that you would fall in love with.
I had no intention of working in law enforcement. One of the careers I’ve ever considered for myself has not been this. However, you may well be aware that fate occasionally forces you to travel to a place that God has created for you. Growing up, I kept telling people I was a very police phobe.
My grandmother used to say, “I will call the police for you,” and I would go under the bed in those days when I was growing up. Therefore, my family and I were shocked and surprised to learn that I ended up working as a police officer. After a year of service with the Nigerian police, the police officers, and the women who make up the force, I realized what it means to be a police officer. I had a true love for my job. I’m happy that I ended up working as a police officer. I keep telling myself that it’s satisfying if I want to work as a policeman once more.
That sounds encouraging to hear. You seem to be beaming with joy, from what I can see. In that regard, I believe you ought to be a police poster girl. How secure are women in the police force?
Regardless of whether they are men or women, the police have a duty to safeguard Nigerians’ lives and property. Since he took over as IGP, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, the current Inspector General of Police, has been very intentional about protecting women and girls in our community by advocating for inclusive policing, gender-sensitive policing, and gender-responsive policing, in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution, which guarantees that Nigerian police are gender-responsive, gender-sensitive, and gender equal.
It’s about making sure that there’s equal opportunity for both male and female police officers in Nigeria, as well as responsive policing in terms of our interactions with the public, from the viewpoint of a man, from a woman’s perspective, from the needs of a man, and from the needs of a woman. So, making sure that no one is being discriminated against simply because of their gender is what we do in our practice.
Concerning the protection issue, the IGP has made a number of pronouncements, particularly those that relate to gender-based violence against women and girls. In addition to the Federal Capital Territory, we have gender desk locations throughout the Federation’s 36 states.
The IGP made these gender desk offices divisional level available last month, to ensure that there are gender desks there.
That is a welcome addition to the Force. But let me respond to your question as well. Some police force rules allow for the sacking of unmarried women police officers who become pregnant. Has that been discontinued or made inactive, particularly in the wake of Corporal Omolola Olajide’s recent pregnancy-related dismissal from the Force?
The Police Act of 2020 has removed Section 127 and any other section of the Police Act or Regulations that discriminate against women. The Nigerian Police Gender Policy was just released by the IGP to ensure that any form of gender discrimination is completely eradicated.
I can confirm that the Nigerian police are no longer a separate entity from the rest of the country because they have moved and because the IG is committed to ensuring that all officers are given equal opportunities. The law used to dictate that you could only hire female police officers for traffic control in those days. The days are long gone. Now, there are operational positions where women police. Thus, the Police Act and its related regulations have eliminated all of the discriminatory language.
Let’s speak specifically. Are you claiming that if a female unmarried police officer becomes pregnant, she won’t be expelled from the police force as of right now? Do you mean to say that?
Source: Channels TV
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