Retired personnel of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday staged a protest at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, blocking one of its gates as they demanded their removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme.
The retirees, alongside their families and operating under the aegis of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria, described the pension scheme as “fraudulent, illegal, inhumane and obnoxious.”
They called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently assent to the Police Exit Bill, which seeks to exclude police personnel from the scheme.
The protesters said the bill was passed by the National Assembly on December 4, 2025, and forwarded to the Presidency on March 16, 2026.
Leading the demonstration, the forum’s National Coordinator, CSP Raphael Irowainu (retd.), said the protest was aimed solely at compelling the President to sign the bill into law.
“Our major aim here is to prevail on Mr President to sign the bill exiting the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme. It has been passed and transmitted. We are only asking for assent,” he said.
Irowainu lamented that while other security agencies had been removed from the scheme, retired police officers remained subjected to it.
According to him, the Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of State Services, and National Intelligence Agency had all exited the scheme, leaving the police at a disadvantage.
He described the development as unjust, insisting that the police, as a critical security institution, should not be excluded from improved pension arrangements.
The retirees further decried the impact of the scheme on their welfare, alleging that it had subjected many of them to hardship and poor living conditions.
They described the CPS as a “slavery and untimely death-inducing pension scheme,” urging the Federal Government to act without delay.
Monday’s protest adds to a series of demonstrations by retired police officers over pension-related grievances.
In July 2025, a similar protest was held at the National Assembly, while others have taken place at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, highlighting growing discontent among retirees.
The latest action underscores mounting pressure on the Federal Government to address longstanding concerns over police pensions and align their benefits with those of other security agencies.
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