IGP bows to pressure, writes Senate, Vows to “Alleviate Suffering” of Retirees

• Egbetokun assured retirees that police leadership is engaging relevant authorities, including National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, to address their concerns.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has written to Senate President Godswill Akpabio seeking an amendment to the pension law to remove the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

This follows protests by retired police officers over “inadequate pensions” under the scheme. A copy of the IGP’s letter, stamped July 29, was leaked by activist Omoyele Sowore, who dismissed it as “a calculated move to calm the rising anger of retired and serving police officers—nothing more than a distraction,” calling it “halfhearted.”

Egbetokun assured retirees that police leadership is engaging relevant authorities, including National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, to address their concerns. “There are things that we need to put in place to ensure that your suffering is alleviated,” he said, adding that some measures are in progress but “would not be disclosed to the public just yet.”

The police force has not officially commented on the leak, and spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi has yet to respond.

OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF POLICE
CB:3380/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.35/13
25th July, 2025

His Excellency,
Sen. Godswill Akpabio, GCON
President of the Senate, National Assembly, Three Arms Zone, Abuja

Subject: URGENT APPEAL FOR THE PASSAGE OF THE BILL FOR THE EXIT OF THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE FROM THE CONTRIBUTORY PENSION SCHEME (CPS)

“I write to respectfully draw Your Excellency’s attention to an urgent and deeply troubling matter that has continued to undermine the welfare, morale, and institutional confidence of personnel of the Nigeria Police Force—namely, the debilitating impact of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) on police retirees.

“Today, most retired officers of the Nigeria Police Force live in conditions that are not only unacceptable but humiliating, given the sacrifices they made in service to the nation. Their monthly pension under the CPS is abysmally low and grossly inadequate to meet even basic needs.”

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