The International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), Nigeria, has backed the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, in his renewed campaign for a comprehensive reform of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) for retired officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
In a diplomatic memo to President Bola Tinubu, titled “A Diplomatic Appeal for Police Pension Welfare Reform in Line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the IHRC called for urgent corrective measures, describing the current pension setup as unconstitutional.
In a statement issued on Saturday by its Head of Media and Strategic Communications, Fidelis Onakpoma, the commission noted that the CPS arrangement for police personnel violates constitutional provisions and leaves thousands of retired officers in hardship.
Ambassador Duru Hezekiah, the IHRC Head of Mission, expressed full support for the IGP’s position:
“The commission firmly supports the Inspector-General of Police’s ongoing advocacy for a just and equitable pension scheme for retired police officers.
We call on President Tinubu to urgently address the systemic flaws in the Contributory Pension Scheme, which violate constitutional provisions guaranteeing dignity and adequate social support for public officers.”
Citing Sections 17(3)(f) and 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the IHRC said the state has a legal obligation to uphold the welfare and dignity of its retired security officers, a responsibility it is currently neglecting.
“The Constitution mandates the state to ensure the wellbeing of retired officers, not to abandon them to a broken system.
The current structure of the CPS as applied to the police is inadequate, unfair, and incompatible with Nigeria’s constitutional values. These officers spent their lives in service, often in the face of extreme danger, yet they retire into poverty and indignity,” the IHRC stated.
The IHRC’s stance follows a July 1, 2025, meeting hosted by the IGP at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
It brought together top delegations from both the National Association of Retired Police Officers of Nigeria, led by AIG Paul O. Ochonu (retd.), and the Coalition of CPS Retirees, led by CP Henry Njoku (retd.), to deliberate on the mounting concerns surrounding police retirement benefits.
At the meeting, IGP Egbetokun emphasized his unwavering commitment to advocating for a more reasonable and dignified pension framework for officers:
“Our retirees deserve dignity, support, and a structure that reflects their sacrifice and service to Nigeria.
We cannot continue to subject our heroes to a pension scheme that is clearly unfit for the nature of their work and the risks they bore.”
He had earlier expressed similar concerns in February 2025 during a session with retired officers at the Police Resource Centre in Abuja, describing the CPS as:
“Deeply flawed and unfit for the realities of Police service.”
The IHRC reiterated this concern, pointing to the disparity between the pension arrangements for military and police personnel. While military retirees are excluded from the CPS and receive more robust pensions, police officers remain bound to a system that, according to the commission, fails to offer adequate post-service security.
“The military has rightly been removed from the CPS because of the peculiar nature of their job. The same logic applies, if not more so, to police personnel.
Our police officers risk their lives daily, and they deserve a pension structure that reflects that reality. Anything less is an affront to justice, equity, and national security,” said Hezekiah.
In alignment with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the IHRC urged the administration to address what it termed a longstanding injustice:
“Reforming the police pension structure is not merely a policy issue, it is a constitutional and moral obligation.
We believe this government has the opportunity to right this historical wrong and restore dignity to our Police retirees,” the statement read.
