Retired Cops On Rampage: Force HQ Under Siege Over ‘Exploitative’ Pension Scheme

Dozens of retired police officers under the Contributory Pension Scheme staged a massive protest on Monday at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, demanding their immediate exit from what they described as an “exploitative and unjust” pension arrangement.

The protesting retirees—many of them elderly former officers—marched to the complex after holding a similar demonstration earlier in the day at the National Assembly.

Upon arrival, they blocked the main entrance of the Force Headquarters, disrupting both vehicular and pedestrian movement. The determined ex-officers vowed not to vacate the premises until their demands were met.

Despite intervention attempts by top police officials, including the Commissioner of Police in charge of the FCT, Adewale Ajao, and the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, the retirees refused to disperse. The officials engaged the group in dialogue and appealed for calm, but the demonstrators stood their ground.

Earlier at the National Assembly gate, the retirees held placards with bold messages such as: “We Deserve Better,” “Say No to Contributory Pension,” and “Police Retirees are Dying in Poverty.” They braved the rain as they chanted and demanded urgent government intervention.

Speaking during the protest, retired Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP Manir Lawal, decried the hardship faced by former police personnel under the current pension scheme, describing it as inhumane and unsustainable.