The court of appeal in Lagos has voided the regulations 126 and 127 of the Nigeria Police Act which allow the dismissal of unmarried policewomen who become pregnant while in service.

A three-member panel of justices led by Olubunmi Oyewole ordered the respondents in the suit – attorney-general of the federation (AGF), Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) – to carry out a comprehensive review of the entire police regulations to ensure that they align with the demands of a modern society operating under the rule of law.

“It is unthinkable that the Nigerian Police of this day and age operates on the principle that female officers need to be specially moderated and regulated while their male counterparts are free,” Oyewole held.

“This is unacceptable in a decent and democratic society governed by the rule of law.

“I, therefore, hold that the said regulations 126 and 127 are inconsistent with the provisions of section 37 and 42 of the Constitution and are therefore null and void to the extent of their inconsistency pursuant to section 1 (3) of the Constitution.

“The Respondents are advised to carry out a comprehensive review of the entire police regulations to ensure that they accord with the demands of a modern society operating under the rule of law.

“I accordingly resolve the two issues in favour of the Appellant and against the Respondents.

“This appeal is meritorious, and it is hereby allowed. Consequently, the decision of the lower court in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/178/2021 delivered on the 21st of February 2022 is hereby set aside.

“Instead, the questions for determination in the said suit are answered in the affirmative while the reliefs sought therein are granted as prayed. Parties shall bear their respective costs.”

BACKGROUND

TheCable reported that Omolola Olajide, an unmarried police corporal attached to Iye-Ekiti station, was sacked in 2021 for being pregnant.

Babatunde Mobayo, the state commissioner of police, justified Olajide’s sack, insisting that the officer contravened section 127 of the police regulations.

Following the sack, Olawale Fapohunda, Ekiti attorney-general and commissioner for justice, instituted a lawsuit before a federal high court in the state, seeking an order to nullify section 127 of the Police Act. 

However, the suit was dismissed because it was an abuse of the court process since a similar case filed by Olajide was pending before the national industrial court.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) approached the Abuja federal high court to challenge the legality of regulation 127 of the police regulations.

The association contended that the said provision contradicts the 1999 constitution and is discriminatory to unmarried female police officers.

However, Inyang Ekwo, the trial judge, dismissed the suit on February 21, 2022.

He said the suit lacked merit, holding that such unmarried female police officers were aware of the regulation before they joined the force.

Oba Saheed Elegushi, the 21st Elegushi of the Ikate-Elegushi Kingdom, has displayed his romantic side by celebrating his second wife, Hadiza Yakasai, on his official social media handles.

The 48-year-old monarch married Olori Hadiza, a Kano indigene, at the Jumaat Mosque in Yankaba, Kano State, in May 2019.

Oba Saheed Elegushi, the 21st Elegushi of the Ikate-Elegushi Kingdom celebrates his second wife, Hadiza Yakasai,
Oba Saheed Elegushi, the 21st Elegushi of the Ikate-Elegushi Kingdom celebrates his second wife, Hadiza Yakasai,
She is the daughter of Kano political figure Tanko Yakasai and a business development manager at an oil and gas industry firm.

Five years later, Oba Elegushi, with unwavering commitment, has reflected on their love story while pledging his steadfast commitment to their union.

His anniversary post read: “Reaching a five-year anniversary signifies more than just half a decade together; it’s a testament to strong commitment and enduring love. Our fifth anniversary is a milestone of over 1,800 days of friendship and nonstop love. Thank you for choosing to share this amazing journey with me. Happy five-year anniversary, my Queen.”

Olori Hadiza, who leads a private life, is inactive on social media.

He married his first wife, Olori Sekinat, in 2003. Seven years later, he ascended the throne after his father, Oba Yekini Adeniyi Elegushi, passed on.

They have three daughters.

Two years after Oba Elegushi took Hadiza as his second wife, his first wife, Olori Sekinat, shared her feelings about the situation. PREMIUM TIMES reported how she described the decision as a ‘bitter pill to swallow’.

She expressed her disbelief and initial resistance to sharing her husband with another woman. However, she eventually accepted it as part of the sacrifices and demands that come with the throne.

The Lagos State Government says it will arrest and prosecute the ring leaders who rented out illegal apartments to Dolphin Bridge, Ikoyi tenants.

This is according to the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, who disclosed this on Friday at the ongoing 2024 Ministerial Press briefing at Alausa Ikeja, to commemorate the first year administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy Kadri Hamzat second term in office.

“In a renewed step to ensure the safety of lives of residents, the operatives of Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI/LAGESC, in line with the provisions of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Management law renewed the enforcement of the use of pedestrian bridges,” the commission said, adding that 1,032 persons were arrested for crossing the highway and failure to use pedestrian bridges.

“165 miscreants and squatters on the pedestrian bridges across the state were also dislodged and the bridges cleaned up. Just about 24 hours ago, the operatives carried out an operation that unearthed a major illegal housing settlement constructed under the Dolphin Bridge Ikoyi.

“An unbelievable 80 rooms partitioned 10×10 and 10×12 and a container used for different illegal activities was also discovered.

“All the structures have been dismantled and a total of 36 miscreants who lived under the bridge were arrested, while efforts are being intensified to arrest the ring leaders who rented out the illegal apartments which also add electricity supply.”

Styrofoam Ban

On the styrofoam ban, Wahab says, “Following my announcement of a ban of use, sale, and distribution of Styrofoam food containers on January 22, 2024, due to grave health concerns and the dangers to our ecosystem and drainage channels, the Ministry through the Sanitation Services Department facilitated meetings with stakeholders concerned and followed up the three weeks’ moratorium to mop-up Styrofoam products from distributors and Lagos markets.

“After the expiration, enforcement activities were commenced by a joint effort of Scientific Officers in the Ministry, Environmental Health Officers as well as KAI personnel in the state.

“A total of over 900 kg of Styrofoam food containers have so far been confiscated and deposited at the TLS Marini in Oshodi for destruction.

“More efforts are however being intensified on public awareness and sensitization of residents on the dangers inherent in the continued usage of the Styrofoam food containers. One of our agencies, LAWMA, during the period under review, identified 103 illegal blackspots across the metropolis and made efforts to ensure their dislodging just as a total number of 1,081 environmental offenders were arrested for various environmental offences with 1016 being prosecuted by the Mobile Magistrate’s court and sentenced to community service at various locations in the state, with an option of fine.

“Monitoring gangs were also deployed across 20 Local Governments to capture evidence of illegal dumping activities and possible prosecution.”

Also commenting on tenants under bridges, the Special Adviser on Environment and Water Resources, to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Kunle Rotimi-Akodu, further confirmed the eviction of illegal settlers from beneath the bridge towards Dolphin Estate in Ikoyi.

Rotimi-Akodu said in total, 23 individuals were arrested during the eviction. He said the exercise was part of an ongoing clampdown on illegal structures across the metropolis and aimed to rid Lagos of illegal structures.