Retired police officers under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) have insisted they will go ahead with a nationwide protest on Monday, July 21, in defiance of an appeal by the Police Service Commission (PSC) to shelve the action and return to the negotiation table.
Chairman of the Police Officers Retirees on CPS in Kaduna State, retired Chief Superintendent of Police Mannir Lawal, said the group had lost faith in promises and was demanding immediate exemption from the pension scheme they describe as “unfavourable and inhumane.”
“We’re not backing down,” Lawal declared. “Our leaders exempted themselves from this scheme, leaving us—the rank and file—to suffer. They’re comfortable while many of us are dying daily in abject poverty.”
According to Lawal, the protest has been fully mobilised, with retirees from all 36 states and the FCT preparing to march on the National Assembly. He confirmed that contingents from Lagos, Bauchi, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Kwara have already arrived or are en route to Abuja.
“This scheme has failed us,” he added. “We are no longer accepting any promises—only concrete action. We demand to be exited from the Contributory Pension Scheme. No alerts, no peace!”
The PSC had earlier urged the retirees to reconsider their protest, citing ongoing efforts to resolve the pension crisis. But with tension building and hundreds of retired officers converging on the capital, Monday’s protest may test the government’s ability to defuse a growing storm within the ranks of Nigeria’s security veterans.