Sowore, Adeyanju, Dan Bello Lead Abuja Protest, Demand ₦500,000 Police Salary, Pension Reform
Human rights activist and #RevolutionNow convener, Omoyele Sowore, political commentator Deji Adeyanju, and activist Dan Bello on Monday led a protest in Abuja to demand better welfare and living conditions for serving and retired police officers in Nigeria.
The protest, tagged #PoliceProtest, brought together retirees and civil rights activists, who marched to the Force Headquarters and National Assembly.
They called for urgent reform of the pension scheme and the introduction of a new minimum monthly salary of ₦500,000 for serving officers.
The retired officers demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme, which they said had plunged them into economic hardship, financial embarrassment, and a disturbing increase in depression and deaths among retired personnel.
They also criticised the pension scheme introduced under the leadership of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, describing it as “unacceptable and fraudulent”, and argued that it does not serve the interests of retired officers.
Chanting slogans such as “Pay Police Now! Pay Police Now!”, the demonstrators held placards that read: #PayPolice, “PenCom is a killer disease worse than cancer”, “No Nigeria Police officer should earn less than ₦500,000 a month”, “We serve, we bleed, we deserve better pay”, “We reject the IGP’s new pension scheme”, and “Enough is enough—treat us with respect.”
The protesters defied armed police personnel stationed around the area and continued to the gates of the National Assembly, where they reiterated their demands, including a call for the removal of Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Addressing the crowd, Sowore said, “We are here on behalf of policemen – rank and file who are suffering.”
He added: “It is natural for them (the government) to issue their usual bogus and stupid statements when people rise up for their rights. It is what they do. I think they have a template in their office where they just put a date on the same statement.
“But that is not the issue here. Our concern is the well-being of these men – how they get their entitlements for those who are serving and those who are retired, and those who are dead as well, whose family members have not been paid their entitlements.
“We are asking that there should be no policeman in Nigeria that should not have life insurance. There is no policeman in Nigeria who should earn less than N500,000 per month.”
Sowore criticised the low pay received by officers, especially when compared to those they protect. He said,“The reason is that you cannot ask the police to be guarding a bank and the bank manager is better paid than the police that is protecting the money.
“The person doing the real work is the policeman, that is ensuring that the bank is not robbed, not the bank manager who is counting how much is in the vault.”
He said the demand for ₦500,000 was modest, “It is even small because N500,000 is about $300, which is nothing in a month. Whereas the senators who are in these places who barely come to work, an average senator takes home N30 million per month, and the policemen who are waiting at their gates cannot even buy paracetamol.
“We are saying, enough is enough! We are not here for their statement; we are here for the welfare of serving, retired, dead police officers and their family members who deserve a better condition of service or after service.”
Sowore condemned the meagre pensions paid to retirees, “How can somebody serve this country for 35 years and go home with N2 million? Some of them go home with N900,000. Are you going to buy a recharge card with N900,000 after 35 years?”
Responding to critics questioning the need to protest for the police, he said, “If we don’t fight for them, it will be unfortunate on our part to ignore them. The argument always is ‘Why are we fighting for the police?’ That police is bad. The police are bad because Nigeria is bad.
“Leaders of Nigeria are very bad leaders, and you cannot find good police from a bad country. We are urging police retirees not to be afraid. The policemen we are seeing on our way are even ready to join if they have their way.”
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
