Police Retirees Suspend Protest, Give IGP Two-Week Ultimatum Over Pension bill

Retired police officers under the umbrella of the Police Retired Officers Forum have suspended a planned national protest at the Presidential Villa to allow the newly appointed Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to intervene and engage President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the Police Exit Bill currently awaiting presidential approval.

The group said the protest, initially scheduled to begin on March 24, 2026, has been suspended for two weeks until April 10, 2026, to give the police chief time to use his office and strategic relationship with the President to prevail on him to sign the bill into law.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Raphael Irowainu, the forum said the decision followed a meeting between the Inspector-General of Police and the group’s leadership at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

The retirees said signing the bill was necessary in the interest of exploited police retirees, demoralised serving officers, and national security.

They added that letters of appeal and protest notification had already been dispatched to the President and other senior government officials.

However, the group warned that failure to sign the bill on or before April 10 would trigger an indefinite nationwide protest, including occupation of the Presidential Villa.

The forum alleged that misleading information regarding the economic implications of exiting the contributory pension scheme was being circulated by officials of the National Pension Commission. They described the current pension arrangement as exploitative and unjust, insisting that the scheme has left retired officers in poverty.

The retirees detailed what they described as the current payment structure under the Contributory Pension Scheme, noting that commissioners of police receive a lump sum of about ₦12 million with a monthly pension of ₦120,000, while inspectors receive between ₦1 million and ₦1.5 million lump sum with ₦20,000 monthly.

They maintained that exiting the Contributory Pension Scheme was non-negotiable, pointing out that other security agencies operate outside the scheme.

The retirees further stressed that improving welfare for police personnel was essential to national security, adding that all retired officers nationwide should remain on standby for possible mobilisation if the President fails to sign the bill within the stipulated timeframe.