Retired Police officers block Villa Gate, demand exit from pension scheme

Retired personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and their families on Monday blocked a gate of the Presidential Villa in Abuja in protest against their continued inclusion in the Contributory Pension Scheme.

The protesters, operating under the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria, described the scheme as fraudulent, illegal, inhumane and obnoxious, while calling on Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assent to the Police Exit Bill.

According to the retirees, the bill was passed by the National Assembly on December 4, 2025, and transmitted to the Presidency on March 16, 2026. If signed into law, it would remove police personnel from the pension scheme.

Leading the protest, the National Coordinator of the forum, Raphael Irowainu, said the demonstration was solely to urge the president to sign the legislation.

He lamented that while other security agencies such as the military, intelligence services and paramilitary bodies had been removed from the scheme, police personnel remained included.

The retirees argued that the Contributory Pension Scheme has negatively affected their welfare, describing it as a system that has subjected many former officers to hardship.

Monday’s action is not the first protest over the issue. In July 2025, retired officers also demonstrated at the National Assembly and Force Headquarters in Abuja, demanding their removal from the scheme.

The latest protest highlights growing dissatisfaction among retired police personnel over pension reforms and calls for equal treatment with other security agencies.