Retired officers of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday staged a protest at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, calling on Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assent to the Police Exit Bill passed by the National Assembly of Nigeria in December 2025.

The demonstrators, operating under the umbrella of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria (PROF), said the proposed legislation seeks to remove the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), which they described as inadequate and detrimental to their welfare.

Marching from the Three Arms Zone through the area in front of the Force Headquarters, the retirees carried placards bearing various inscriptions, alongside the Nigerian flag and that of the police. The protest was led by the group’s National Coordinator, Raphael Irowainu.

Addressing journalists, Irowainu said the continued inclusion of the police in the CPS was “fraudulent and unjust,” urging the President to sign the bill into law without further delay. According to him, the legislation was passed on December 4, 2025, and transmitted to the President on March 16, 2026.

He argued that other security agencies, including the military and intelligence services, had already been exempted from the scheme, leaving the police at a disadvantage. “Our primary objective is to ensure that the President signs the bill exempting the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme,” he said.

The protesters, joined by some family members, also blocked Gate 8 of the Presidential Villa, disrupting vehicular movement in the area. Efforts by security personnel to disperse the crowd were unsuccessful, as the retirees insisted on meeting with the President. Some demonstrators sat or lay on the ground, singing solidarity songs.

As of the time of filing this report, no official from the Villa had addressed the protesters.

The protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations by retired police officers over the pension scheme. In July 2025, a similar protest was held at the National Assembly, where retirees demanded their removal from the CPS. Other demonstrations have also taken place at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

At the time, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, acknowledged concerns over retirees’ welfare but noted that exiting the Contributory Pension Scheme would require careful consideration and could not be implemented immediately. He also cautioned against the spread of misinformation, assuring that the Force remained committed to the well-being of its retired personnel.