‘It’s A Matter Of Time To Have First Female IGP’, Says AIG Aishatu Abubakar-Baju

Nigeria’s most senior female police officer, Assistant Inspector General (AIG), Aishatu Abubakar-Baju, has stated that the country will eventually have a female Inspector General of Police (IGP), emphasising that women in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) were making significant strides in leadership and development.

Speaking on a Channels TV breakfast show, ‘The Morning Brief’, monitored by our correspondent, AIG Abubakar-Baju addressed the long-standing absence of a woman at the helm of the Force, asserting that gender is not a barrier to holding the top position.

“The position of the Inspector General of Police is at the discretion of Mr. President,” she explained. “There can only be one IG at a time. The most important thing is that women are given opportunities to grow and develop themselves. It’s just a matter of time.”

As the NPF marked 70 years since women were first enlisted, AIG Abubakar-Baju highlighted the increasing representation of women in key policing roles. “The first set of female officers to be enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force was in April 1955. So it’s 70 years this year. That’s another celebration for us,” she said.

Her own journey into the Force was unexpected. After studying Veterinary Medicine at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, she was posted to the NPF for her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 1995. That experience, she said, changed her perspective.

“I never planned to become a police officer. But you know, sometimes fate also drives you to wherever it is that God has designed for you,” she revealed. “I truly fell in love with the job, and if I’m coming back to this world again, I want to be a police officer.”

Under the leadership of IGP Kayode Egbetokun, AIG Abubakar-Baju emphasised that the Force was undergoing reforms to ensure gender inclusivity. “The IGP has been very intentional about protecting women and girls in our community, about inclusive policing, gender-sensitive policing, and gender-responsive policing,” she said.

One major development has been the expansion of gender desk offices across all police divisions. “Last month, the IGP expanded these gender desk offices to the divisional level to make sure that we have gender desks at the grassroots,” she explained.

Abubakar-Baju also addressed past discriminatory regulations, such as the dismissal of unmarried female officers who become pregnant. She confirmed that such provisions have been removed from the Police Act.

“Section 127 and any section of the Police Act and Regulations that had gender discrimination have been expunged from the Police Act of 2020,” she said. “The Nigerian Police have come of age… All those discriminatory sections have been removed.”

When asked directly whether an unmarried female officer who gets pregnant would be dismissed today, she responded with a firm, “No.”

While Nigeria was yet to produce its first female IGP, Abubakar-Baju remained confident that it would happen soon.

“Women are doing very well so far. There can only be one Inspector General of Police, and I don’t think it has anything to do with gender,” she reiterated. “It’s just at the discretion of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; whosoever he finds worthy of that office, of course, he will give them.”