Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of abandoning retired police officers to poverty, illness and humiliation despite their years of service to the country.
Mr Atiku also called for an urgent review of police salaries and demanded an explanation for the delay in assenting to the Police Exit Bill, saying serving officers were being forced to withdraw from their pension savings to meet their families’ basic needs.
The former vice president made the allegations in a statement issued on Sunday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council.
He spoke against the backdrop of protests by retired police officers and their families at the National Assembly over their pensions and retirement benefits.
Mr Atiku described the situation as unacceptable, saying officers who risked their lives to protect Nigerians should not be left struggling to afford food, healthcare and other necessities after retirement.
“Retired police officers stood at the gates of the National Assembly with their wives and children. Some of those children carried placards pleading for a law that could help their parents survive,” he said.
“Men and women who answered Nigeria’s call for decades are now waiting outside its legislature for Nigeria to answer theirs. Bola Tinubu should be ashamed that it has come to this.”
Mr Atiku cited the case of a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police who reportedly told him that he received a monthly pension of N29,000.
He said the retired officer had complained that the amount was insufficient to meet basic needs and disclosed that more than 120 members of his association of retired officers had died within three years.
“A retired Assistant Superintendent of Police sat with me and told me his monthly pension is N29,000. ‘What would you even buy with N29,000?’ he asked,” the former vice president said.
He challenged President Tinubu to meet the retired officers and explain how they were expected to survive on their current pensions.
Mr Atiku also recounted the experience of a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police who, according to him, had been forced to seek menial employment after leaving the service.
He said one of his media managers later found the former senior police officer begging at the Central Mosque in Abuja, prompting an intervention to assist her.
While expressing relief that the woman had received assistance, Mr Atiku said such interventions could not replace a reliable pension system for retired officers.
“Our intervention could help one woman in that moment. It could not give her the secure retirement she earned,” he said.
He questioned why a former officer who had risen to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police should have to depend on chance encounters to receive assistance after decades of service.
The former vice president also cited the case of a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police in Bauchi who allegedly encountered a former colleague gathering firewood to sell to raise money for food.
“Imagine bearing that title after a lifetime of service while searching for your next meal. Nigeria remembers his uniform but has forgotten the man inside it,” he said.
Mr Atiku further alleged that some serving police officers had been withdrawing 25 per cent of their pension savings to provide for their families amid rising food, transport and medicine costs.
He blamed the economic policies of the Tinubu administration for worsening the financial difficulties facing serving and retired officers.
“Tinubu made life expensive, and even the officers he sends to confront armed criminals are being pushed into poverty,” he said.
“We ask them to risk their lives for Nigeria while they wonder how to feed their families and whether their country will stand by them when their service ends. That is a disgrace.”
Atiku demands action on Police Exit Bill
Mr Atiku said the Police Exit Bill had been sent to President Tinubu in March but had yet to receive a decision as of October.
He cited Section 58 of the Constitution, which provides a procedure for presidential assent to bills, and said the president should explain the status of the legislation.
“The Police Exit Bill was sent to Bola in March. It is now October. Section 58 of the Constitution gave him thirty days to signify assent or withhold it. He has given retired officers months of silence,” he said.
He urged the National Assembly to publish the bill’s formal status, demand an explanation for the delay and determine the constitutional steps available to resolve the matter.
“If a vote is required, hold it openly. Let every legislator’s name stand beside the decision,” he said.
The former vice president said the government should not allow retired officers to continue protesting over benefits they believe are necessary for their survival.
He also called for an urgent review of police salaries, arguing that serving personnel should earn enough to support their families without dipping into funds set aside for retirement.
Atiku unveils Police Dignity Guarantee Plan
Mr Atiku said he would implement a Police Dignity Guarantee Plan if elected president in 2027, promising reforms covering pensions, salaries, healthcare and support for families of officers killed in the line of duty.
He said the plan would begin with an audit of outstanding pension arrears and gratuity claims, followed by the settlement of verified obligations according to published payment schedules.
“We will audit and settle verified pension arrears and gratuity claims against published payment dates. We will establish a pension floor and review it as the cost of living changes,” he said.
He added that the proposed plan would provide insured healthcare for serving and retired police officers, including personnel injured in the line of duty and retirees living with disabilities.
Mr Atiku also promised timely support for families of officers killed while serving the country.
Under the proposed arrangement, he said, officers who were too ill to travel for pension verification would be verified at home to prevent their medical conditions from obstructing access to their entitlements.
“Sickness must never become a reason to withhold what someone has earned,” he said.
The former vice president said his administration would also review police remuneration to ensure that serving personnel could meet their families’ needs without withdrawing from their pension savings.
He promised that officers approaching retirement would receive clear records of their contributions and entitlements, designated contacts for resolving disputes and dependable payment dates.
He further pledged that funding for the proposed plan would be provided for in the budget, with details of payments published for public scrutiny.
“Police officers have given Nigeria their strength and their years. Those who protect this country must be able to protect their families. And when their service ends, Nigeria must keep its word to them,” he said.
The statement was signed by Mr Shaibu on October 18, 2026.
The allegations and proposed reforms were presented by the ADC presidential campaign council. The statement did not include a response from the Presidency or the police authorities to the claims concerning pension payments, the Police Exit Bill or the financial circumstances of serving and retired officers.