CISLAC has urged the National Assembly to increase the proposed women’s recruitment quota in the Nigeria Police Act (Amendment) Bill from 15 per cent to 30 per cent. The call was made in Abuja by Auwal Rafsanjani, the executive director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre and head of Transparency International-Nigeria. He said this adjustment aligns with African Union and ECOWAS standards on gender inclusion in security sector governance and will support stronger human rights protection and gender equality reforms.
According to him, “The National Policy on Women, adopted in 2000, recommended a 30 per cent reservation for women in appointments.” Rafsanjani explained that increasing the quota will help Nigeria meet the international benchmark and improve inclusive policing. During the public hearing organised by the House Committee on Police Affairs, he was represented by Gimba Hassan, CISLAC’s senior programme officer. Hassan stressed that women make up less than 11 per cent of the Nigeria Police Force, which is far below global and regional expectations for effective security sector reform.
Stakeholders at the hearing applauded CISLAC’s recommendation, with some panel members showing interest in considering a 20 per cent starting point. CISLAC welcomed the committee’s openness and encouraged lawmakers to take bold steps that will promote transparency, security sector accountability, and gender mainstreaming across all police structures.
The organisation also called for ending analogue record-keeping and establishing a digital, unified and permanent record system for crime data. It said this would improve tracking of gender-based violence cases, human rights violations, investigative outcomes, and prosecutions in a transparent format accessible to the public. CISLAC further proposed the creation of a Gender and Inclusion Compliance Directorate with statutory powers to monitor recruitment, training, postings, promotions, and disciplinary actions.
It added that compulsory gender-responsive budgeting, annual gender audits, and open reporting should be adopted across the police force to strengthen institutional accountability and support sustainable security reforms. The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to assisting the National Assembly in building a police force that is inclusive, transparent, and aligned with global best practices.
Okorie Kalu, head of the legal unit at the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs, announced that the ministry is drafting new police regulations aimed at ending discriminatory requirements. He stated that the new rules would remove marital and pregnancy restrictions, abolish gender-based duty assignments, and end long-standing dress code policies that have been criticised by CISLAC.
