In a resurfaced video now circulating online, a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) issued a damning statement during a protest by former officers over unpaid pensions, accusing the Nigerian government of neglect and betrayal.
Speaking at the protest, the retired officer alleged that during their years of service, police officers not only protected citizens but were also often used to shield corrupt politicians and officials while they looted public funds.
“We escorted and protected you while you stole money, now pay our entitlement,” he declared, addressing the Federal Government.
The former officer painted a grim picture of the police’s complicity in corruption, noting that stolen money was often escorted safely under police watch.
“We are the security of this country. They steal, we escort their money. That money they steal, we escort them from where they steal, to their village,” he said.
He lamented that despite such years of service, retired officers have been abandoned, with entitlements allegedly diverted.
“They sent our entitlement to company, when we did not work for company,” he added.
The protest underscores long-standing frustrations among retired police officers who say they are being denied their rightful pensions, even after decades of service in one of Nigeria’s most demanding institutions.
Earlier in July, the National Association of Retired Police Officers of Nigeria (NARPON) lamented the paltry pensions being paid to their members, revealing that some retired officers received as little as ₦60,000 to ₦75,000 a month despite decades of service.
Around the same period, former Inspector-General of Police Usman Alkali Baba criticized the structure of the police pension scheme, calling it corrupt and inhumane.
He alleged that under the current arrangement, retirees are effectively treated as dead after ten years, regardless of whether they are still alive.
The Federal Government has yet to officially respond to the allegations and demands made during the demonstration.
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