A bill seeking the amendment of the Police Act (CAP P19) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 on Thursday passed the second reading at the Senate.
The bill sponsored by the senator representing Imo East, Ezenwa Onyewuchi, seeks to expunge the gender-discriminatory provisions of Regulations 122, 123, 124 and 127 of the Police Act for other related matters.
Regulation 122 restricts female police officers assigned to the General Duties Branch of the Nigeria Police Force to telephone, clerical and office orderly duties while Regulation 123 prohibits women police from drilling under arms.
Also, Regulation 124 mandates female police officers to apply for permission to marry, while the intending husband is also investigated for criminal records. It also stipulates that a police woman who is single at the time of her enlistment must spend three years in service before applying for permission to marry.
The bill, which may be cited as the Police Act Amendment Bill 2019, also points out that Regulation 127 prescribes discriminatory treatment of an unmarried police officer who becomes pregnant.