Some retired police officers took to the streets of Abuja on Monday in a peaceful protest to draw attention to the poor welfare conditions of serving and retired members of the Nigeria Police Force.
The retirees who are disconcerted with the Police Contributory Pension Scheme sought a discontinuation from the scheme to enable them collect their full pensions and gratuity.
The protest was led by the Convener of the Revolution Now Movement, Omoyele Sowore, who joined the retirees to demand urgent intervention from the Federal Government.
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They expressed displeasure over what they described as years of neglect, non-payment of pensions, and poor treatment of officers who had served the nation diligently.
Sowore, speaking during the protest, called on the government to recognise the sacrifices made by police officers and ensure that their welfare was prioritised.
The protesters also warned that if the government failed to respond promptly, they would sustain their action until their demands were met.
In Taraba State, the retirees staged a protest with banners and placards in Jalingo, the state capital.
Among other demands, they called for an exit from the Police Contributory Pension Scheme.
The inscriptions on some of the placards read, ‘We demand total exit from the deadly Police Contributory Pension Scheme,’ Scrap police contribution pension scheme,’ and ‘We need our full gratuity’.
‘Rights Of Retirees Must Be Protected’
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, had on Sunday directed all Commissioners of Police across the country and in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to provide maximum security for the planned peaceful protest by retired police officers.
Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who stated this in a statemen, cautioned against the spread of misinformation surrounding the protests scheduled to be held nationwide on Monday.
“The IGP has ordered that the rights of our retired officers who have chosen to protest must be protected, and the protest should serve as a model of dignified expression of grievance,” the Force spokesman said on Sunday.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, is currently meeting with the protesting retired police officers in Abuja.
The meeting took place at the peacekeeping hall, Force Headquarters in Abuja.
On Monday, some retired police officers protested at the National Assembly to demand their removal from the contributory pension scheme (CPS).
The demonstrators, mostly elderly, stood in the rain, holding placards and chanting anti-government songs.
Some of the retired police officers also besieged the force headquarters in Abuja to protest against CPS.
Addressing the protesters, the IGP said welfare of retired police officers is being addressed but the exit of the force from the contributory pension scheme is not something that can be activated immediately
Egbetokun, however, advised the leaders of the protest to refrain from spreading wrong narratives as the Force cannot abandon their own.
