Retired Nigerian Police Officers Plan Nationwide Protest Over Pension Scheme, Demand Exit From Contributory System
A wave of discontent is sweeping through Nigeria’s community of retired police officers as they prepare to stage a nationwide peaceful protest over what they describe as the “inhumane and exploitative” nature of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). The protest, set to hold on July 21, 2025, is being organised under the banner of the “Mother of All Peaceful Protests,” and will take place simultaneously in various states across the country.
The planned demonstration follows years of mounting frustration by retirees who say they have been abandoned by a system that has failed to provide timely and sufficient pension payments. Speaking at a press conference in Kaduna on June 27, the Kaduna State chapter of retired police officers accused the Federal Government and the National Pension Commission (PenCom) of gross negligence and insensitivity to their plight.
Leading the charge was CSP Mannir Lawal Zaria (retd.), who described the CPS as a “modern-day slavery scheme” that has subjected thousands of retired officers to poverty and indignity. He noted that the vast majority of police retirees receive meagre monthly pensions that are neither reflective of their years of service nor sufficient to meet their basic needs.
“We have become beggars after spending the most active years of our lives serving this country,” Zaria said. “While our colleagues in the military and other security agencies enjoy the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), we are left to suffer under a flawed contributory system.”
Retired officers are now calling for a complete exit from the CPS and a return to the Defined Benefit Scheme, which guarantees fixed pension payments based on rank and years of service. They are also demanding the creation of a dedicated Police Pension Board, similar to that of the military, to ensure tailored oversight and prioritised payment.
In addition to these structural demands, the retirees are also pressing for the immediate settlement of accumulated pension arrears, which they say have plunged many of their colleagues into debt, despair, and in some tragic cases, death while waiting for their entitlements.
This is not the first time the retirees have taken to the streets. In 2024, similar protests were held at the National Assembly complex in Abuja and in various state capitals, including Bauchi and Kaduna. The agitations led to the passage of bills by the 9th National Assembly recommending police exemption from the CPS, but those bills have yet to be signed into law or implemented.
According to the retirees, their petitions to government agencies and public hearings conducted in late 2024 have been largely ignored, leaving them with no choice but to mobilize for a mass protest to draw attention to their continued suffering.
Civil society groups and human rights advocates have expressed solidarity with the retired officers, urging the Tinubu administration to urgently address the issues. They argue that men and women who spent their careers protecting citizens should not be subjected to financial insecurity and abandonment in retirement.
With barely a month to the planned protest, tension is building, and many observers fear that the government’s continued silence could spark wider discontent among other sectors grappling with pension-related grievances.
The retirees insist that the July 21 protest will remain peaceful but firm in its demands, as they seek justice, dignity, and the restoration of their rights after decades of national service.
