The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called on the National Assembly to raise the proposed women’s recruitment quota in the Nigeria Police Act (Amendment) Bill from 15 per cent to 30 per cent.

Auwal Rafsanjani, CISLAC’s executive director, who also heads Transparency International-Nigeria, made the call in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to him, this aligns with the African Union and ECOWAS benchmarks on gender inclusion in security sector governance.

“The National Policy on Women, adopted in 2000, recommended a 30 per cent reservation for women in appointments,” said Mr Rafsanjani.

Mr Rafsanjani said during the public hearing organised by the House Committee on Police Affairs at the National Assembly that raising the percentage to 30 will enable the country to meet the international benchmark.

Represented by the organisation’s senior programme officer, Gimba Hassan, the CISLAC boss reiterated that a 30 per cent benchmark is necessary to correct decades of structural exclusion of women in policing.

He emphasised that women currently constitute less than 11 per cent of the Nigeria Police Force, a figure far below regional and international standards for inclusive policing.

CISLAC’s recommendation was met with applause from stakeholders at the hearing, with several panel members expressing willingness to consider a compromise starting point of 20 per cent.

The organisation welcomed the committee’s openness and encouraged lawmakers to be bold and progressive in adopting stronger gender reforms.

CISLAC also called for the phasing out of analogue record-keeping at all levels of the force, the establishment of a digital, unified, and perpetual record system for crimes, especially those involving gender-based violence (GBV) and human rights violations, and mandatory documentation of investigative outcomes and prosecutions in a transparent and accessible format.

The organisation also recommended the creation of a Gender and Inclusion Compliance Directorate with the statutory authority to monitor recruitment, training, postings, promotions, and disciplinary procedures.

Also, it called for compulsory gender-responsive budgeting across the police force, annual gender audits, and public reporting to strengthen accountability.

The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the National Assembly in developing a more inclusive, transparent, and rights-based police force capable of responding to security challenges in line with global best practices.

The head of the legal unit at the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs, Okorie Kalu, announced that the ministry is developing new police regulations to eliminate discriminatory criteria.

The new rules, he stated, would remove marital and pregnancy restrictions, abolish gender-based duty assignments, and end gendered dress code reforms long advocated by CISLAC.

(NAN)