Against the advice of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, retired police officers, today, staged a peaceful protest in Abuja to demand for their removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
The protesters who occupied the entrance gate of the National Assembly in Abuja comprise of the elderly ex-police personnel, who displayed placards and chanting solidarity songs, insisting that their welfare and dignity had been neglected enough.
One of the protesters, a retired Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Manir Lawal (retd.) urged the government to exit police retirees from the pension scheme, which he described as exploitative and unjust.
IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun Addressing the Protesting Retired Police Officers
Lawal stated, “We are here to ask the government to remove us from the Contributory Pension Scheme. The pension scheme is exploitative and unjust. I am 67 years old. Many of us here are in our 60s and 70s. We have served this country faithfully and deserve to retire in dignity. This scheme has impoverished us. It is our right to demand better.”
Also in Ibadan, capital of Oyo State and Bauchi State, some protesters demonstrated. At the Eleyele police command, proters noted that police officers deserve better condition and stressed that police should be removed from CPS. They added that no police officer should earn less than N500, 000.
In Bauchi, protesters urged the government to treat police better.
Bauchi
Reacting earlier through the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Egbetokun expressed his commitment to personally address the retired police officers currently protesting for improved retirement benefits.
Egbetokun urged all genuine stakeholders among the retirees to remain calm, law-abiding, and receptive to the peaceful resolution process already initiated stressing that he is committed to engaging with the protesters constructively with a view to addressing their legitimate concerns with dignity and respect.
Protesting Police Officers Addressing Police Authority over thier Welfare
Egbetokun, who has arrived at the Peacekeeping Hall, Force Headquarters, Abuja, is currently addressing retired police officers who gathered peacefully to express their concerns over retirement benefits.
