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Kayode Egbetokun, Inspector General of Police, assured retired police officers protesting in Abuja that the Nigeria Police Force was not only aware of their plight under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) but is actively seeking alternatives to address the decades-long pension crisis.
Egbetokun addressed the visibly distressed officers at the Force Headquarters, following a six-hour peaceful protest demanding the police’s exit from the CPS and the establishment of an independent pension board.
The officers, many of whom retired over the last decade, lamented the severe hardship they continue to face under the current pension system.
Acknowledging their frustrations, the IGP began by affirming their right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression.
“We support your right to speak. We feel your pain because we, too, will retire one day. I have directed all serving officers to respect retired personnel.
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“In fact, our retired officers should be respected more than senior officers”, he said.
Egbetokun explained that despite ongoing efforts since 2014, successive police leaderships have failed to secure an exit from the CPS.
“It is beyond the power of any Inspector General of Police to unilaterally remove the Police Force from the CPS.
“However, we have been exploring other ways to improve your retirement benefits and ensure dignity in retirement,” he said.
He reiterated that alternatives are being developed and dismissed the perception that the current police leadership is against the CPS exit.
“If exiting the CPS will solve the problem, I will support it. But we must also look for practical solutions that are achievable. We are thinking outside the box, and work is ongoing,” he added.
After Egbetokun’s remarks, several retired officers took turns to share harrowing personal experiences, many of them breaking down in tears or raising their voices in frustration.
Saminu Ibrahim, a retired Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), painfully narrated how his pension of ₦37,000 a month has rendered him incapable of caring for his family.
His children are out of school, and his wife, overwhelmed by years of hardship, left him.
“I cannot afford medication when I’m sick. Even painting my house is a struggle. I served 35 years and got just ₦2 million, which got wiped out after an accident,” he said.
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Another retiree lamented that the military and Directorate of State Service (DSS) exited the CPS long ago, yet the police remain trapped due to policy decisions and lack of political will.
“We were assured by successive IGPs that our exit was imminent. They called off protests with promises. Yet, year after year, the same thing happens, broken assurances,” he said.
One of the most distressing revelations came from a retiree who said that African Alliance, a pension fund manager many retired officers subscribed to, had allegedly not paid some retirees in over nine months.
“We are borrowing to feed our families. We’re homeless. They removed our wives from NHIS. We sleep in the cold. How long will this suffering continue?” he asked.
The retired officers passionately appealed to the IGP to take their case directly to President Bola Tinubu.
“Police officers are dying every day in poverty. Please, go to the president and tell him our story. We have become beggars. We are being mocked. Our sacrifices are being ignored,” one said in tears.
