Retired police officers and their wives on Wednesday staged a protest at the National Assembly in Abuja to demand President Bola Tinubu’s assent to a bill seeking to exempt the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
The retirees, under the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria, said the current pension arrangement had left many former officers struggling to meet basic needs despite decades of service.
The protesters gathered at the National Assembly gate in matching blue T-shirts and face caps, carrying placards and banners while chanting demands for the president to sign the bill into law.
The demonstration was part of an indefinite protest the group resumed on September 29, 2026, after what its leaders described as unsuccessful engagements with government officials over their retirement benefits.
Speaking during the protest, the forum’s leader, CSP Raphael Irowainu (retd.), said the National Assembly passed the bill on December 4, 2025, and transmitted it to Tinubu on March 16, 2026.
He accused the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and police management of opposing the proposed exemption, alleging that their actions had contributed to the delay in the president’s assent.
Irowainu said the retirees were no longer satisfied with assurances that their benefits would improve under the existing system, insisting that their demand was for the complete removal of police personnel from the contributory pension scheme.
He gave figures for the lump-sum payments and monthly pensions received by retired officers across different ranks.
According to him, retired Assistant Superintendents of Police receive between N2.1m and N2.5m as lump sums, with monthly pensions of about N25,000.
He said retired Superintendents receive between N2.5m and N2.8m in lump sums, alongside monthly pensions ranging from N35,000 to N40,000.
For retired Commissioners of Police, he put lump-sum payments at between N7m and N9m, with monthly pensions ranging from N90,000 to N100,000.
The figures were provided by the forum’s leader and have not been independently verified.
Irowainu said the arrangement had subjected many retired officers to financial hardship, particularly when paying for medical treatment and other essential needs.
He also alleged that more than 20 members of the forum had died within the preceding six months because they could not afford medical care. He said the group was compiling the names of the deceased for possible publication. The alleged link between their deaths and inability to afford treatment has not been independently established.
The protest followed a demonstration at PenCom’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday, where the retirees said they spent about seven hours demanding that the commission stop interfering with the proposed legislation.
Irowainu said PenCom’s secretary and legal adviser, Mohammed Sani, addressed the protesters on behalf of the commission’s Director-General, Omolola Oloworaran, and appealed for calm.
According to him, Sani assured the retirees that efforts were being made to improve their retirement benefits.
The protesters, however, maintained that improving benefits under the existing arrangement would not resolve their concerns. They argued that police personnel should be exempted from the scheme, citing exemptions granted to other security and public institutions.
The contributory pension system was introduced in Nigeria in 2004. Irowainu said the military, Department of State Services, National Intelligence Agency and National Assembly had subsequently been exempted, while police personnel remained under the scheme.
The allegations against PenCom and police management have not been independently established.
Irowainu also linked the pension dispute to the welfare and morale of serving police officers, arguing that uncertainty over retirement benefits could undermine confidence in the force.
He alleged that poor retirement prospects contributed to some officers engaging in unprofessional conduct, including extortion and intimidation. The claim was not independently substantiated.
The forum leader said the agitation began in September 2025 and had continued through several engagements with government institutions.
He recalled that the retirees protested at the Presidential Villa in April after Tinubu failed to assent to the bill. The group suspended the demonstration following assurances that the matter would be resolved but resumed its action after what it considered an unsatisfactory outcome.
He added that an intervention by the Inspector-General of Police in August also failed to resolve the dispute.
The retirees subsequently visited the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Police Affairs to press their demands.
Irowainu said the forum would continue its demonstrations until Tinubu assented to the bill or the government took concrete steps to address their grievances.
He disclosed that the group had planned protests at several locations, including government offices and the international airport, to draw wider public attention to the dispute.
The retirees maintained that their demand extended beyond their personal welfare.
They argued that serving officers needed assurances that their years of service would be adequately recognised upon retirement.
