BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR —Retired officers of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday took to the streets of Abuja to express dissatisfaction over what they described as poor post-service benefits and an unfavourable retirement structure.
Operating under the umbrella of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria, the former officers held a peaceful march calling for their withdrawal from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), which they labelled as exploitative and harsh.
They are also urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give approval to the Police Exit Bill already passed by the National Assembly, which seeks to exempt police personnel from the existing pension arrangement.
According to them, other uniformed services such as the armed forces and intelligence agencies have been removed from the scheme, while police retirees continue to face what they described as financial hardship after years of service to the nation.
A spokesperson for the group said the demonstration was not politically driven but intended to highlight their conditions and push for improved welfare and respect for retired officers.
Security operatives were deployed across strategic locations in the capital during the protest, although the procession remained calm and orderly.
The retirees maintained that they would sustain their advocacy until their demands are addressed, insisting that the current pension framework is no longer workable or fair to former officers who served on the front lines of law enforcement.
