The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has to the retired police officers to return home, assuring that issues surrounding their pensions and other benefits were being addressed.
Egbetokun urged the former law enforcement officers to refrain from spreading wrong narratives saying the Force would never abandon it’s own.
He gave the assurance on Monday while addressing protesting retired police officers at the Force Headquarters in Abuja
He however told them that the exit of the force from the contributory pension scheme cannot be activated immediately considering the legal framework guiding the scheme.
The assurance came after the retired police officers had protested at the National Assembly and across the country to demand their removal from the contributory pension scheme.
The protesters, who defied heavy rainfall in Cross River State have stage a peaceful protest to the State Police Headquarters in Calabar, the state capital.
The protesters are demanding immediate action on their long-standing call for removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
The visibly agitated retirees, on Monday, many of them elderly and soaked from the rain, carried placards with messages such as “We served with honour, pay us with dignity,” “CPS is a death sentence,” and “We reject peanuts for pensions.” They marched calmly to the gate of the state command headquarters, where they submitted a formal petition addressed to the Inspector-General of Police.
Leading the protest, Superintendent Daniel Okon (rtd), said the CPS had subjected them to untold hardship, despite decades of dedicated service to the nation.
“We came here today, under the rain, to show the world the extent of our suffering. Many of us have died waiting for fair treatment. We want to be exited from this pension scheme that does not favour us,” Okon said.
He commended the Cross River State Police Command for providing security and not attempting to suppress their demonstration.
The retirees decried the stark contrast between their meagre monthly pensions under the CPS and what their counterparts in the defined benefits scheme receive. Some claimed they take home as little as N15,000 to N20,000 monthly, barely enough to afford basic necessities.
Another protester, Sergeant Martha Ekpenyong (rtd), who retired after 32 years in service, lamented:
“Even after retirement, we are still being punished. How can a grandmother survive on N17,000? We cannot buy drugs, cannot feed properly. This is injustice.”
The peaceful protest was monitored by officers of the state command, in line with the directive from the Inspector-General of Police, who had earlier instructed all commands to provide cover and ensure the protest was not hijacked by non-retired persons or political interests.
In a statement over the weekend, the Force Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi, had noted that the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force was not opposed to the protest and recognised the concerns of its retired personnel, even as it continues to pursue both statutory reforms and alternative welfare initiatives.
After submitting their letter at the Police Headquarters, the retirees vowed to continue their advocacy through legal and non-violent means until their demands are addressed by the Federal Government.
