A group of retired police officers under the banner of the Association of Retired Police Officers of Nigeria (ARPON), Kwara State Chapter, North Central Nigeria staged a peaceful protest in Ilorin on Monday, demanding the immediate establishment of a Police Pension Board to independently manage the pension affairs of officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
The protesters, who marched to the Press Centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara State Council, lamented what they described as years of suffering under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), which they said has failed to cater adequately for the welfare of retired police personnel.
Holding placards with bold messages such as “Establish Police Pension Board Now!”, “We Deserve Better After 35 Years of Service!”, and “If CPS is Fair, Why Did Top Police Brass Exit?”,the retired officers called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Assembly, and the Inspector General of Police to intervene urgently by removing police retirees from the CPS and creating a dedicated pension board for the force, akin to what is obtainable in other security agencies.
Chairman of the association in the State, retired Chief Superintendent of Police Yakubu Jimoh, said the demand is long overdue.
He urged the federal government to heed their call and implement legislative action to exit police retirees from the contributory scheme and establish a Police Pension Board that will ensure justice and fairness in the management of pensions.
“We are not asking for too much,” Jimoh said. “Our colleagues in the military and DSS are already out of this scheme and enjoy better pension packages. We, who risked our lives to maintain law and order for over three decades, deserve no less. A Police Pension Board should be created immediately to oversee our pension matters.”
He also demanded the release of the report from the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Services on the bill proposing the creation of the board, which has been pending since the public hearing in November 2024.
Furthermore, he called for expedited disbursement of the N758 billion pension shortfall owed security agencies, noting that June 2025 had earlier been announced as the proposed date for payment.
“We are told the money is coming next year, but how many of us will still be alive by then?” he asked rhetorically. “The longer we wait, the more our members suffer and die without benefitting from what they’ve earned.”
Jimoh decried the injustice of junior officers receiving meager gratuities and monthly stipends despite dedicating their entire careers to national service.
He cited the case of a retired Superintendent of Police receiving just N2.4 million as gratuity and N30,000 monthly pension.
In a jointly signed letter presented to journalists, ARPON members questioned why only top police brass—Inspector Generals, Deputy Inspector Generals, and Assistant Inspector General have been exempted from the CPS while lower-ranking officers continue to suffer.
“Where are we exiting to?” Jimoh said. “We want to go where our police generals have gone. We all served this country. Why the discrimination?”
Legal Adviser of the association, retired Superintendent of Police Adekunle Iwalaiye, added emotional weight to the protest, emphasizing the inhumane treatment retired officers face due to the inefficiencies of the contributory scheme.
“After 35 years of meritorious service, what we get is far from a living wage,” he said. “Many of us sustained injuries in the line of duty, some carry permanent bullet wounds. We have sacrificed our youth for Nigeria. All we ask is to be treated with dignity.” he stressed.
Iwalaiye noted that many retired officers receive pensions below N50,000, a sum he said cannot even purchase a bag of rice. He said this financial hardship has exposed their families to untold suffering and led to the premature deaths of many retirees due to lack of access to healthcare.
“We are not criminals, we are not violent,” he said. “We simply want to live in retirement with dignity and peace of mind. Establishing a Police Pension Board is the way forward.” he added.
The protesters vowed to sustain their agitation until the federal government establishes the proposed Police Pension Board and exits all police retirees from the Contributory Pension Scheme.
Olusola Akintonde