Retired police officers plan Aso Villa protest to force President Tinubu to approve Police Pension Bill

Retired police officers plan Aso Villa protest to force President Tinubu to approve Police Pension Bill

A coalition of retired senior police officers has announced plans to stage a sustained peaceful protest at the Presidential Villa on Monday, April 13, pressing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to approve legislation that would remove them from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

The group, operating as the Association of Retired Police Officers under CPS, said the demonstration would not be a one-day event but would continue until the President signs the pending bills into law.

Their latest move signals mounting frustration among retirees, weeks after the National Assembly of Nigeria transmitted a harmonised bill to the Presidency seeking the police’s exit from the CPS, an arrangement many former officers have long described as unjust.

Despite the passage of the Independent Police Pension Bill by both chambers, first by the House of Representatives in October and later by the Senate in December, the final document only reached the President on March 16, prolonging a process retirees say has dragged on for years.

The agitation, which intensified nationwide last year through scattered protests, reflects deep resentment among former officers who argue that the CPS has left many of them financially strained after decades of service.

Unlike other security agencies that exited the scheme, police retirees say they remain trapped in a system they consider inadequate.

After previously holding back on mass action following appeals for patience, the retirees now insist they have exhausted all options.

In a mobilisation message signed by retired DSP Iliayasu Aliyu of the Nasarawa State chapter, the group framed the protest as a defining moment in their struggle.

“This is not just a protest; it is a cry for justice. For years, we served this nation with loyalty, courage, and sacrifice. Today, in retirement, many of us are left struggling under a system that does not reflect the sacrifices we made,” the statement read.

Organisers say participants from across the country are expected to converge on Abuja, with instructions already circulating through police networks and social media platforms urging widespread turnout and coordination.

“We are not leaving until our voices are heard and Mr President assents to our Bills. No going back. No surrender,” the statement added.

The planned protest follows a series of engagements with key institutions, including the police hierarchy and the National Pension Commission, which failed to resolve the retirees’ concerns.

Although President Tinubu had earlier directed interventions such as fast-tracking healthcare access for low-income CPS retirees and mandating reforms to address police pension challenges—the former officers maintain that only a full exit from the scheme will guarantee them dignity in retirement.