Retired Police Officers Block Presidential Villa Gate In Abuja Over Pension Scheme

Retired police officers block Presidential Villa gate in Abuja over pension scheme Retired personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and their families, under the aegis of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria (PROF), on Monday blocked a gate of the Presidential Villa in Abuja in protest over the continued inclusion of the police in the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).The protest, which drew elderly former officers to the Three Arms Zone, disrupted movement around the Villa as the demonstrators demanded urgent government intervention on their welfare and pension entitlements.

The retirees described the CPS as “fraudulent, illegal, inhumane and obnoxious,” insisting that it had subjected them to financial hardship after years of service to the country. Carrying placards with various inscriptions and chanting solidarity songs, the protesters called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assent to the Police Exit Bill passed by the National Assembly in December 2025 and transmitted to the Presidency in March 2026. The bill seeks to remove the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme, a demand the retirees say is necessary to correct what they describe as systemic injustice in their post-service benefits. According to the group’s leaders, the protest was a last resort after repeated appeals for reform went unaddressed, stressing that many retired officers are struggling to survive on meagre pensions. Security operatives were deployed to the area to maintain order as the demonstration continued peacefully, though access to parts of the Presidential Villa was temporarily restricted. The protest adds to a growing wave of agitation by retired security personnel in recent years over welfare, pensions, and post-service benefits within Nigeria’s contributory pension framework.