Police Retirees Cry Out: Contributory Pension Scheme Has Turned Us Into Slaves Nigerians React

At least 280 retired police officers from the South-South region have accused the Nigerian police authorities of treating them like “slaves” by denying them their rightful pension entitlements.

The retirees made their grievances known during a meeting in Calabar with the Director General of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), Omolola Oloworaran, who was dispatched by President Bola Tinubu to hear their complaints.

Gathered from across the South-South states, the ex-officers demanded to be removed from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and placed under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), alleging that serving and retired senior police officers had conspired to block the implementation of their proper benefits.

They lamented huge disparities between their pensions and those of their counterparts in the military and DSS. While some retired police inspectors reportedly receive as little as ₦18,000–₦20,000 monthly, soldiers of equivalent rank earn ₦200,000–₴400,000 and above.

Speaking on their behalf, the National Legal Officer of the Police Retirees Association, Ofem Mbang, said:

“No improvement under the CPS will satisfy us. We don’t want temporary palliatives; we want a permanent solution—an exit from CPS and the creation of a Police Pension Board. An inspector retires with ₦18,000, while his military equivalent takes home about ₦200,000. A retired commissioner of police earns ₦70,000, but a major general gets about ₦800,000. This is fraud and shameful to the government.”

The retirees further demanded that pensions for security agencies should not be handled by private firms, accusing MPF Pension Ltd of siphoning their entitlements.

“Nowhere in the world is the pension of security agencies managed by a private company. Their licence should be revoked,” they declared.

In response, PENCOM DG Omolola Oloworaran admitted that the current scheme was “embarrassing” and assured the retirees of ongoing reforms.

“We are working to restructure the pension system to achieve the best for police officers. While I cannot reveal full details yet, I can assure you that President Tinubu has given me a clear mandate to address your grievances.”

She appealed for patience, promising that within two months, the federal government would begin settling outstanding debts owed to retired police officers.