Retired Nigerian Police Officers Lock Down National Assembly, Demand Exit From Contributory Pension Scheme

The protesters, visibly angry and defiant, chanted solidarity songs and mounted barricades at every entry point into the legislative complex.

Retired Nigerian police officers on Thursday again stormed the National Assembly complex in Abuja, blocking all entrances and exits as they continued their protest over what they described as years of neglect, injustice, and poor welfare conditions.

The aggrieved ex-officers, who gathered in large numbers, vowed that no lawmaker or staff member of the National Assembly would gain access to the premises until the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, addressed their grievances.

The protesters, visibly angry and defiant, chanted solidarity songs and mounted barricades at every entry point into the legislative complex.

“Nobody will enter the National Assembly today. The ambulance is already on standby. The Senate President was here just a few seconds ago but refused to come out and address us,” one of the protesting retirees shouted.

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“We are resolute; nobody will enter the National Assembly today. Whatever they want to do, let them do it. Enough is enough! What are our crimes? What did we do to deserve this treatment? We will not accept it anymore. Nobody will enter the National Assembly today!”

“If they want to arrest me, let them come. I am ready to die here if I must. That is our decision,” the protester declared.

Another protest leader who spoke at the protest said they had suffered years of deceit and neglect while successive governments turned a blind eye to their suffering.

“Today, we have decided to block the National Assembly, no entry, no exit. The Senate President and other lawmakers must come out and address us. There is no going back. We cannot and will not accept this any longer,” he said.

The retirees accused the Nigerian government of refusing to pay their pensions and gratuities, as well as abandoning the families of deceased officers who served the country faithfully.

On Tuesday, wives of retired police officers joined their spouses to protest at the National Assembly, lamenting the severe hardship and humiliation faced by their families.

The women accused the government of abandoning them despite their husbands’ decades of service to the country, often without protective gear or insurance.

“When our husbands were serving, they had no bulletproof vests or helmets. They were always the first to die in any operation. Many widows have not been paid their husbands’ gratuities,” one of the women said.

She revealed that corruption and sexual exploitation were now part of the system.

“Before they even call us to collect our husbands’ gratuities, they will demand to sleep with us or our children. You can imagine such wickedness. Why is the police authority so indifferent? Enough is enough. They should please answer us,” she lamented.

The protesters’ wives also called on the National Assembly to act swiftly, saying they would not leave until justice was done.

“We are ready, and we are telling the National Assembly now, remove retired policemen from the pension scheme with immediate effect. Our children are suffering,” one of them declared.

Thursday’s protest is the latest in a string of demonstrations by retired police personnel demanding that the federal government immediately remove them from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), which they described as fraudulent and exploitative.

The retirees also stormed the National Assembly complex on Monday, September 29, describing the CPS as a “419 arrangement” that has left many ex-officers impoverished after decades of service.

The protesters, who camped at the Assembly, vowed not to vacate the premises until their demand for a total exit from the CPS was met.

CSP Rafael (retired), National Coordinator of the Retired Police Officers’ Association in Nigeria, told SaharaReporters that the protest was originally fixed for September 29 but was rescheduled due to the lawmakers’ recess.

“Whether they postpone their resumption or not, we will remain here. Afterward, we shall make pronouncements on the next line of action. Our demand is total exit from this wicked scheme,” he said.

He described the pension system as “a deliberate act of wickedness against men and women who risked their lives for national security.”

“After 35 years of service, an Assistant Superintendent of Police collects just ₦3 million, while some get as little as ₦1.5 million. What a calamity! What wickedness to humanity! This is a government-orchestrated plan to keep us in poverty,” he fumed.

The retirees warned that the continued neglect of retired police officers would have direct consequences on national security, as serving personnel are watching how their predecessors are treated.

“If you fail to pay us well, those still serving will be worse. Before, they only mounted roadblocks to collect money; now they will slap you, and if you don’t give them money, anything can happen,” one protester warned.

They accused officials and pension fund administrators of deliberately keeping the police trapped in the CPS while other security agencies, including the military, Department of State Services (DSS), and National Intelligence Agency (NIA), enjoy separate and more rewarding pension systems.

“We are the largest security agency in Africa with over 350,000 personnel, yet we are treated like beggars. We demand that President Bola Tinubu immediately and expeditiously remove the police from this fraudulent scheme,” Rafael said.

He stressed that the protest was not political but a fight for survival.