Retired police officers took to the streets of Abuja on Monday, marching under heavy rainfall to the National Assembly to demand their removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), which they have consistently described as unfair and inadequate.
Chanting protest songs and waving placards, the ex-police personnel initially stormed the gates of the National Assembly before heading to the Force Headquarters to further press home their demands.
Despite the downpour, the elderly demonstrators, many in their 60s and 70s, remained defiant, accusing the federal government of turning a deaf ear to their longstanding pleas.
Read also: Retired policemen protest: IGP vows to push for pension reform amidst emotional pleas
They argue that the CPS, which has drawn criticism from various quarters, is detrimental to their post-retirement wellbeing.
Labelling it a “discriminatory pension scheme,” the retirees said they have exhausted all formal avenues to seek redress.
The protest, which was announced to hold on Monday, July 21, 2025, drew support from civil rights activists including Omoyele Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), and human rights advocate, Deji Adeyanju.
The visibly agitated retirees and their supporters, chanting slogans and demanding justice, refused to be swayed by any official promises. They said the time for talk was over.
Speaking to journalists at the protest ground, Mannir Lawal, Chairman of the Police Officers Retirees on Contributory Pension Scheme in Kaduna State and a retired Chief Superintendent of Police, said:
Read also: It’s Our Money! —Retired Police officers decry ₦2m retirement pay after 35 years
“We are here to ask the government to remove us from the CPS. The pension scheme is exploitative and unjust. I am 67 years old. Many of us here are in our 60s and 70s.
We have served this country faithfully and deserve to retire in dignity. This scheme has impoverished us. It is our right to demand better.”
By press time, many of the retired officers had left the National Assembly gate.
Security personnel from the Federal Capital Territory Police Command were present, maintaining order and ensuring the protest remained peaceful.
