By Zainab Bakare
Some retired officers of the Nigeria Police Force, on Monday staged a protest at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, demanding the signing of the Police Exit Bill by President Bola Tinubu.
The bill, passed by the National Assembly in December 2025, seeks to remove the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
The protesters, who marched from the Three Arms Zone through the area in front of Police Headquarters, blocked Gate 8 leading into the Presidential Villa, causing temporary disruption to vehicular movement.
Carrying placards, the retirees also displayed the Nigerian flag and the flag of the Nigeria Police Force as they sang solidarity songs and laid mats at the gate under the sun, insisting on seeing the President.
Security personnel made attempts to disperse them, but the retirees maintained their position.
Leader of the group, CSP Raphael Irowainu, said the protest was to press home their demand for the immediate signing of the bill transmitted to the President in March 2026.
He described the Contributory Pension Scheme as “fraudulent, illegal and inhumane,” insisting it had left many retired officers in hardship.
“Our major aim here is to prevail on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sign the Police Exit Bill into law. The police are trapped in an obnoxious pension scheme,” he said.
The protesters argued that other security agencies, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, DSS, and NIA, have already exited the scheme, while police officers remain under it.
They insisted the policy imbalance is unfair, especially given the role of the police as the country’s primary internal security agency.
This is not the first time retired officers have protested over the issue. Similar demonstrations were held last year at the National Assembly and Police Headquarters in Abuja.
While the government has previously assured that police welfare concerns are being addressed, retirees insist that only legislative action will resolve their demands.
As of the time of filing this report, no official response had been issued from the Presidential Villa.
