Hundreds of retired police officers, alongside their family members, staged a protest at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, blocking a major entrance to Aso Rock as they demanded urgent action from Bola Tinubu on the Police Exit Bill.
The demonstrators, under the banner of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria (PROF), said their protest was driven by years of hardship and dissatisfaction with what they described as an unjust and dehumanising pension system.
At the centre of their demands is a bill seeking to remove the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). The legislation was passed by the National Assembly in December 2025 and forwarded to the Presidency in March 2026 but is yet to receive presidential assent.
Chanting solidarity songs and wielding placards with messages such as “Police dey work, PenCom dey chop” and “Sign our bill now,” the retirees expressed deep frustration over the delay.
Security operatives, including personnel from the Department of State Services (DSS), were deployed to the scene to prevent the protesters from gaining access into the Villa. However, efforts to disperse them proved unsuccessful as they insisted on being addressed directly by the President.
“We are not leaving until the President comes out to speak to us,” one protester said, echoing the resolve of the crowd.
Several retirees spoke emotionally about their living conditions, describing the current pension scheme as inadequate and unsustainable.
“We gave this country decades of service, yet we are left to suffer,” one of them lamented, citing meagre retirement benefits that barely cover basic needs.
The protesters maintained their stance throughout the demonstration, repeatedly calling on the President to sign the bill into law, which they believe would significantly improve their welfare.
The CPS, administered by the National Pension Commission (PenCom), has remained a contentious issue among retired police officers, many of whom argue that it fails to account for the risks associated with their service.
As of the time of reporting, there has been no official response from the Presidency regarding the protest or the status of the bill.
