Retired police personnel and their families, under the umbrella of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria (PROF), on Monday blocked a gate of the Presidential Villa in Abuja in protest against the continued inclusion of the Nigeria Police Force in the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
The retirees described the scheme as “fraudulent, illegal, inhumane and obnoxious,” insisting that it has negatively affected their welfare after years of service.
The protest was aimed at urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assent to the Police Exit Bill, which was passed by the National Assembly on December 4, 2025, and transmitted to the Presidency on March 16, 2026.
According to the protesters, signing the bill into law would remove police personnel from what they called a “slavery and untimely death-inducing pension scheme.”
The protest was led by the National Coordinator of PROF, CSP Raphael Irowainu (Rtd), who said the demonstration was solely to push for the President’s approval of the bill.
“Our major aim here is to prevail on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sign our bill—the bill exiting the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme—passed by the National Assembly on 4th December 2025 and transmitted to him on 16th March, 2026, into law, nothing more than that,” he said.
Irowainu argued that other security agencies have already been removed from the CPS, leaving police officers at a disadvantage.
He listed agencies such as the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy, Department of State Services, and the National Intelligence Agency as those already exempted from the scheme.
“The police, who are the father of them all, are trapped in this obnoxious Contributory Pension Scheme,” he added.
This is not the first time retired officers have staged protests over the CPS. In July last year, they demonstrated at the National Assembly, demanding their removal from the scheme. Some also gathered at the Force Headquarters in Abuja during earlier protests.
At the time, former Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun acknowledged concerns over welfare but said immediate withdrawal from the scheme was not feasible, urging restraint and warning against misinformation.
The latest protest highlights renewed tension over pension reform in Nigeria’s security sector, as retired officers continue to push for improved welfare and structural changes to the pension system.
