Retired police officers under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), led by the Kaduna State chapter of the Union of Retired Police Officers, have announced a nationwide “Mother of All Peaceful Protests” scheduled for July 21, 2025, to demand the Nigeria Police Force’s exit from the CPS. In a statement issued on June 25, 2025, by Chairman CSP Mannir M. Lawal Zaria (Rtd) and Vice Chairman ASP Danlami Maigamo (Rtd) after their monthly meeting at the Police Officers’ Mess in Kaduna, the retirees cited severe economic hardship, financial embarrassment, and rising depression and deaths among their ranks due to inadequate pensions. The protest, planned across all 36 states, aims to pressure the Federal Government to establish an independent Police Pension Board, similar to those for the military and other security agencies, to address disparities in retirement benefits.
The union highlighted a previous protest from February 24 to March 3, 2025, at the National Assembly, where petitions were submitted to key officials, including the Senate and House committee chairmen and the DSS Director, but expressed frustration over the lack of progress following a November 19, 2024, public hearing on the Police Pension Board Bill. They emphasized their commitment to peaceful demonstrations, distancing themselves from any violent agitation, and stated, “The silence from the authorities is deafening, but we remain committed to lawful engagement.” The retirees argue that the CPS, managed by NPF Pensions Limited, delivers paltry pensions—e.g., N80,000 monthly for a retired Commissioner of Police (Punch, September 2024)—compared to N12.8 million for equivalent military retirees.
The agitation stems from the Pension Reform Act 2004, which placed police under the CPS while exempting the Army, NIA, and DSS, leading to disparities. Despite NPF Pensions managing over N1 trillion in assets (Vanguard, July 2024), delays in accrued rights payments, unpaid for over 15 months, have left retirees without pensions for nearly two years (TheCable, July 2024). The Pension Fund Operators Association (PenOp) warned that exiting the CPS would cost N3.5 trillion annually, straining Nigeria’s budget (Nairametrics, November 2024). Posts on X, like @freelanews and @jimdave2012, reflect rising tensions, with @channelstv noting earlier protests on May 21, 2024, for unpaid pensions. The retirees’ demand aligns with legislative efforts, including a bill passed for second reading in the Senate on July 4, 2024, but stalled since former President Buhari’s 2023 veto (Daily Trust, December 2023).
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