By Atoyebi Nike
Human rights advocate and presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore on Monday spearheaded a protest at the Force Headquarters in Abuja to demand better welfare and pension conditions for Nigerian police officers, both serving and retired.
The demonstration, held in partnership with the Nigerian Union of Retired Police Officers, aimed to draw attention to what organizers described as years of injustice under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). Protesters are calling for immediate reforms, including the complete removal of police personnel from the scheme.
The group, which had earlier announced plans to picket the National Assembly, was escorted throughout the protest by security officers from the legislative complex. However, they were denied access into the Force Headquarters building.
Chanting solidarity songs and displaying placards with messages such as “CPS is a death sentence,” “End Police Slavery,” “Dignity for Those in Uniform,” and “Decent Salaries Now,” the demonstrators said the pension structure has left many retired officers impoverished and dishonored.
“We are here to demand justice for those who have served this country and are now abandoned. The contributory pension system is not only failing them, it is killing them,” Sowore said during the protest.
The retired police officers reiterated their demand for legislative intervention, accusing the government of turning a blind eye to the worsening conditions of ex-personnel who risked their lives in service to the nation.
The protest adds to growing public pressure on lawmakers and the executive to revisit Nigeria’s pension laws for security personnel, especially amid rising inflation and economic hardship.
