Retired Police Officers of Nigeria, under the contributory pension scheme, on Tuesday besieged the National Assembly in Abuja, protesting several months of unpaid pensions.
The retirees, representing various state chapters, expressed their grievances over the severe hardships faced due to the National Pension Commission’s failure to disburse their entitlements.
The retired officers called on the Federal Government to remove them from the contributory pension scheme, citing the scheme’s inadequacy in providing timely and sufficient financial support.
One of the protesters, retired Superintendent of Police John Okiro, lamented, “We served this nation diligently, putting our lives on the line, yet we are left to suffer in our retirement.
It’s disheartening to see fellow officers unable to afford basic necessities because their pensions are withheld.”
This demonstration echoes a similar protest held in September 2021, where retired officers from 27 states gathered at the National Assembly in the Federal Capital Territory, demanding their pension payments.
During that protest, the officers carried placards with messages such as, “NPF pension defrauding police retirees, SOS,” “Police officers are dying in penury under the contributory pension scheme,” and “CPS is a death sentence against the police!”
