The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has issued a directive to all Commissioners of Police across Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to ensure maximum security for the planned peaceful protests by retired police officers scheduled for Monday.
The directive was disclosed in a statement released Sunday by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi. The IGP emphasized that the constitutional rights of the retired officers to peaceful assembly must be protected, urging all commands to ensure the demonstration is conducted in a dignified and secure atmosphere.
“The IGP has ordered that the rights of our retired officers who have chosen to protest must be protected. The protest should stand as a model for expressing grievances with dignity,” Adejobi stated.
The police spokesperson also addressed growing concerns over misinformation and politicisation of the protest.
He warned that some individuals were deliberately spreading false narratives to tarnish the image of the Federal Government and undermine the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force.
According to Adejobi, the demand by retired officers to exit the Contributory Pension Scheme is not a new agitation. He explained that the issue has been a longstanding concern, one that previous IGPs have supported, although meaningful progress has been stalled due to statutory limitations, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and fiscal challenges.
“It is disheartening to observe how certain actors have chosen to politicise a sensitive welfare issue, weaponising the legitimate grievances of our retired colleagues for ulterior motives,” Adejobi said.
To maintain order, the IGP has instructed Commissioners of Police to deploy adequate security personnel to monitor and secure the protests, particularly in the FCT and states where formal notifications have been received.
He stressed the importance of preventing hijacks by miscreants, political actors, or other unrelated groups.
He also urged police officers to respect the protesters — their former colleagues — and to be guided by professionalism in managing the situation.
Intelligence and operational assets, he said, must be strategically deployed to protect lives and public property while upholding institutional integrity.
Adejobi concluded by calling on all protesting retirees to ensure their demonstration remains peaceful, saying, “The Force stands in solidarity with their right to protest, but calls for calm, discipline, and lawful conduct at all times.”
