AIG Dr. Aishatu Abubakar-Baju holds a distinction no other woman in Nigeria currently shares: she is the most senior female officer in the Nigeria Police Force. Her ascent to Assistant Inspector-General of Police is the result of a steadfast climb that began in 1995, when she entered the force as an Assistant Superintendent after her NYSC posting. At the time, she was completing her veterinary studies. Her journey since then bridges public safety, academia, reform and tradition.
She was born in 1971 in Biu, Borno State, but raised in Adamawa State under the care of her grandmother, who worked as a matron in a secondary school. That environment cultivated in her both discipline and a deep respect for learning. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1994. Her doctoral work, conducted at the University of Plymouth in the UK, earned her prestigious backing from a UNESCO-L’Oréal Fellowship for Young Women in Science in 2005, a fellowship awarded to only 14 women worldwide that year.
As she moved through the ranks of the force, she did not abandon learning. She added a Master’s in Security and Strategic Studies (ongoing), attended command courses at Police Staff College, Jos, and embraced roles at the Presidential Villa across two administrations between 1996 and 2015. Her academic commitment continued through her lecturing role in veterinary medicine at Ahmadu Bello University and contributions to international scholarly literature.
A landmark achievement under her watch was the removal of sections 127 and 126 from the Police Act, which allowed for the dismissal of unmarried policewomen who became pregnant while on duty. Speaking on national television in March 2025, she confirmed that the Nigeria Police Force had expunged those discriminatory sections and launched a Gender Policy to safeguard female officers.
Her influence extends into tradition too. Late June 2025 brought news that she had been turbaned “Gimbiyar Biu Emirate”, a historically male role within the traditional leadership structure of Borno. This appointment signals both her standing in her community and wider conversations about women’s leadership in traditional institutions.
Meanwhile, the Force itself under Inspector-General Egbetokun has publicly recognised her as the architect behind new gender-inclusive trains of operations. On International Women’s Day 2025, the IGP credited AIG Baju’s relentless work in formalising gender-responsive policing, expanding gender desks to divisional levels, and advocating inclusive appointments.
She has also led storied operational units; as the head of the Force Animal Branch (FAB), she oversaw Nigeria’s first breeding centre for police dogs and horses, a regional first, that brought new tactical and investigative capacity to the force.
Recognition for her work extends beyond uniforms and rank. She holds the National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) and the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), both awarded by President Buhari in November 2019. She is also President of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, the first woman to hold that role since the council’s foundation in 1953.
Her perspective stretches beyond the day job. She has spoken about the inevitability of a female Inspector-General of Police—“just a matter of time,” she says, reflecting her belief in equal opportunity within the Force’s leadership structure.
From a caring grandmother’s home to commanding respect in uniform, from scientific breakthroughs to cultural recognition, AIG Dr. Aishatu Abubakar-Baju has built a legacy that spans disciplines and institutions. Her trajectory redefines the possibilities for women in Nigerian law enforcement and beyond.
