Edo Police Retirees Join Nationwide Protest Over Poor Pensions

Retired police officers in Edo State on Monday joined a nationwide protest to demand their removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), which they described as a “killer policy” that has subjected them to poverty and avoidable hardship.

Under the banner of the National Association of Retired Police Officers Contributory Pension Scheme (NARPO-CPS), the retirees staged a protest and held a press conference in Benin City to draw national attention to their plight.

Speaking on behalf of the group, the state chairman, SP Anthony Nnachor (rtd), criticized the CPS as exploitative and inadequate, saying it has failed to serve those who spent decades in service to the nation.

“We are here to let the world know the hardship we are going through. Some of us receive as little as N25,000 or N30,000 monthly—even retired Commissioners of Police are not spared,” Nnachor said.

“Many of our colleagues are dying daily due to lack of money for basic healthcare.”

He explained that under the current pension structure, police personnel contribute 7% of their salaries while the federal government contributes 8%. At retirement, only 25% of the accumulated fund is paid as a lump sum, with the rest disbursed in monthly installments—an arrangement Nnachor described as leaving retirees in penury.

“If you contributed N10 million, you might only get N2 million outright, and the rest is spread over years of tiny monthly payments,” he added.

The group called on President Bola Tinubu to take immediate action by directing relevant authorities to remove retired police personnel from the CPS and place them under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), which currently applies to retired military officers.

The association said it has been lobbying for this transition since 2019, but with little progress. They also urged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to support their demand and intervene on their behalf.

Speaking further, the association’s Publicity Secretary, Mr. Johnson Oyameda, described the current pension arrangement as fraudulent and unjust. He appealed to the National Assembly to expedite the passage of a bill that would officially remove police retirees from the CPS.

“We have participated in multiple public hearings, but the harmonization of the bill continues to be delayed,” Oyameda said.

The retirees vowed to continue pressing for reforms until their demands are met and justice is served.