The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has honoured retired DCP Dame Stella Obuoforibo Okuyiga, Nigeria’s last surviving pioneer female police officer, for her contributions to policing and women’s advancement in the Nigeria Police Force.
Disu paid tribute to the retired officer in Port Harcourt during the presentation of her memoir, The Origin of Policewomen in Nigeria: The Story of the Pioneer Women Officers and My Journey in the Nigeria Police Force (1955–1986).
Dame Okuyiga joined the Force in October 1955 and served for three decades, helping to pave the way for women in a predominantly male profession.
Describing her as a historic figure and a “living monument,” the IGP stressed that the ambitions of the girl child must never be limited by gender.
Her memoir documents the challenges and achievements of the pioneering female officers, preserving an important chapter in police history and inspiring generations of women in uniform.
