A coalition of retired senior police officers has fixed Monday, April 13, for a major peaceful protest at the Presidential Villa, demanding their exit from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

Operating under the aegis of the Association of Retired Police Officers under CPS, they said the demonstration would continue until President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assents to pending bills seeking their withdrawal from the scheme.

Last month, the National Assembly transmitted the Bill seeking the exit of the police from the controversial scheme following years of agitation from retirees who lamented their impoverishment under the CPS after decades of selfless service to the country.

The agitation reached a crescendo last year with pockets of protests by the retirees across states, which gained national attention and forced the lawmakers to begin the process of the police’s exit from the CPS, which other security agencies long abandoned.

Although the House of Representatives passed the Bill for an Independent Police Pension in October and the Senate followed suit in December, it was only on March 16 that the harmonised Bill was transmitted to the President for assent.

The retirees, who earlier threatened to storm the streets of Abuja in peaceful protest until the Bill was signed but were asked for more time, now said they had run out of patience.

Across social media platforms and police communities, the demand for the exit from the CPS remains rife, with many associating their continued stay under the scheme as demoralising. There is hardly any news on the police; you won’t find retirees demanding exit from the CPS in the comments.

In a mobilisation message signed by retired DSP Iliayasu Aliyu of the Nasarawa State Chapter, the group described the protest as a decisive step after years of hardship under the CPS, despite what they called decades of loyal service to the nation.

“This is not just a protest; it is a cry for justice. For years, we served this nation with loyalty, courage, and sacrifice. Today, in retirement, many of us are left struggling under a system that does not reflect the sacrifices we made,” it said.

According to the organisers, retirees from across the country are to converge on the Presidential Villa in Abuja on the scheduled date for what they described as a peaceful but firm stand for their rights, dignity, and future.

They stressed that participants are expected to mobilise fellow retirees in their states, circulate information widely, and ensure strong representation at the protest venue.

“We are not leaving until our voices are heard and Mr President assents to our Bills. No going back. No surrender,” the statement added.

The retirees also urged colleagues nationwide to watch and share mobilisation messages and inform other affected officers ahead of the demonstration.

The planned protest follows earlier engagements with government institutions, including the National Assembly, the Inspector-General of Police, and the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), which the retirees said did not resolve their concerns over the pension scheme.

President Tinubu had earlier directed the expedited rollout of a free healthcare access initiative for low-income retirees under the CPS and mandated PENCOM to address longstanding police pension issues, stressing that officers who served the country deserve dignity in retirement. (The Nation NEWS)

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