Retired Police Officers Block Villa Gate, Demand Exit from Pension Scheme

Retired police officers under the aegis of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria (PROF) on Monday staged a protest at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, blocking one of its gates as they pressed home their demands over welfare concerns.

The demonstrators, joined by family members, protested the continued inclusion of the Nigeria Police Force in the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), which they described as fraudulent, illegal, inhumane and exploitative.

The retirees said their action was aimed at urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assent to the Police Exit Bill already passed by the National Assembly.

According to them, the bill approved on December 4, 2025, and forwarded to the Presidency on March 16, 2026 seeks to remove police personnel from the CPS.

They argued that signing the bill into law would free officers from what they termed a “slavery and untimely death-inducing pension scheme.”

The protest was led by the National Coordinator of PROF, retired CSP Raphael Irowainu, who said the group’s primary objective was to secure presidential assent to the bill.

“Our major aim is to prevail on the President to sign the bill exiting the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme into law,” he said.

Irowainu lamented that while other security agencies including the Army, Navy, Air Force, and intelligence services have been exempted from the CPS, the police remain under the scheme.

He described the situation as unjust, insisting that the police, as a critical national institution, should not be left behind.

This is not the first time retired officers have protested over the issue. In July 2025, they demonstrated at the National Assembly and later at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, demanding improved welfare and removal from the CPS.

At the time, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, acknowledged concerns over retirees’ welfare but noted that exiting the scheme would require due process and could not be implemented immediately.

He also cautioned against the spread of misinformation, assuring that the Force remained committed to addressing the concerns of its retired personnel.