RismadarVoice Reporters
September 13, 2026
The Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria (PROF) has announced the reactivation of its indefinite national peaceful protest over pension-related concerns affecting retired and serving police personnel, with the group urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assent to the Police Exit Bill.
The Forum said the protest, code-named “No Retreat; No Surrender,” will commence on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, and continue indefinitely until further notice.
PROF announced the decision in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, September 12, following a resolution of its National Executive Council.
The group said it had earlier suspended the protest on August 10 after receiving an assurance from Inspector-General of Police Olatunji R. Disu that the pension-related challenges affecting police personnel would be addressed within two weeks.
According to PROF, the assurance followed a meeting between its national leadership and the Inspector-General of Police and members of the Force Management Team at the IGP Conference Hall, Force Headquarters, Abuja, on August 6.
The Forum said the expected resolution had not materialised and that it had also not received the anticipated feedback from the police authorities.
At the centre of the renewed protest is the Police Exit Bill, which seeks to remove the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
PROF said the bill was transmitted by the National Assembly to the Presidency on March 16, 2026, but that President Tinubu had yet to assent to it.
PROF DEMANDS EXIT FROM CONTRIBUTORY PENSION SCHEME
The retired officers said they consider the existing contributory pension arrangement inequitable and detrimental to the welfare of police personnel, particularly those who have retired after years of service.
The Forum is calling for pension arrangements for the Nigeria Police Force that it says should be comparable with those applicable to other critical security institutions, including the military, State Security Service, National Intelligence Agency and other similarly situated public institutions.
PROF argued that police personnel perform critical national-security functions and should therefore have a pension structure that adequately reflects the risks and sacrifices associated with their service.
The Forum said the proposed reform would provide greater financial security for retired police officers while improving the morale of serving personnel.
PROPOSED PROTEST LOCATIONS
According to the Forum, demonstrations are expected to take place at several federal institutions and other strategic locations in Abuja, as well as offices of state governors across the 36 states.
The proposed venues include the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, National Assembly Complex, National Pension Commission (PenCom), Ministry of Police Affairs, Federal Ministry of Justice and Federal Ministry of Finance.
Other listed locations are the United Nations Office in Abuja, United States Embassy, Embassy of France, British High Commission, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Police Service Commission Headquarters and the offices of the 36 state governors.
PROF said participants would be expected to conduct themselves peacefully and responsibly and operate within the provisions of Nigerian law throughout the protest.
CONCERNS OVER RETIREES’ WELFARE
The Forum said its decision to resume the protest was driven by what it described as inadequate retirement benefits, including lump-sum payments and monthly pensions received by some retired police officers.
PROF claimed that more than 20 police retirees had died during the preceding six months, while many others were bedridden and struggling to meet basic medical and social needs.
The Forum also said it had recorded the deaths of more than 40 serving police officers in the line of duty during the same period.
The figures were presented by PROF as part of its concerns over the welfare of police personnel and retirees and were not independently verified in the statement.
The group said the welfare situation has implications beyond pensions, arguing that the treatment of retired personnel could affect the morale of serving officers and ultimately the capacity of the Nigeria Police Force to perform its constitutional responsibilities.
PROF therefore called on the Federal Government to treat police welfare and pensions as matters of national security and public interest rather than solely as employment-related issues.
‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’
The Forum said retired police officers deserved dignity, adequate welfare and a decent standard of living after dedicating their working lives to protecting lives and property, maintaining law and order and safeguarding national security.
It described the continued delay in addressing its pension concerns as unacceptable and said it was unwilling to allow the issue to remain unresolved indefinitely.
PROF also raised concerns over what it described as disparities between the pensions received by retired police officers and those of retirees from other security institutions.
The Forum specifically alleged that, in some cases, a retired non-commissioned military officer or personnel from other security institutions could receive a higher monthly pension than a retired Commissioner of Police.
The claim was presented as a grievance by the Forum and was not accompanied by comparative pension records in the statement.
CALL FOR MASS PARTICIPATION
The national leadership of PROF called on retired police officers across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to mobilise for the September 29 protest.
The organisation also appealed to members, families and supporters to remain disciplined and law-abiding during the exercise.
Its demands include justice and equity for retired police officers, improved welfare for serving personnel and a pension system that, in its view, adequately recognises the sacrifices made by police officers during their years of service.
APPEAL TO PRESIDENT TINUBU
PROF renewed its appeal to President Tinubu to assent to the Police Exit Bill and make it law.
The Forum said it believed presidential assent would provide relief to retired police officers facing pension difficulties, improve the welfare and morale of serving personnel and strengthen the overall effectiveness of the Nigeria Police Force.
The group urged the President to consider the issue within the broader context of equity, national security and the welfare of personnel responsible for maintaining internal security.
The September 29 protest is therefore expected to place renewed public pressure on the Presidency, the National Assembly, PenCom and other government institutions involved in police welfare and pension administration.
The statement was signed by CSP Raphael I. Irowainu (Rtd.), National Coordinator of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria.
