Presidential Villa

By Anwar Usman

Retired police personnel and their families, under the umbrella of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria, on Monday blocked one of the gates of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in protest.

The retired officers are demanding the removal of the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme, which they described as “fraudulent, illegal, inhumane and obnoxious.”

Protesters carried placards reading “End CPS,” “If military, DSS were removed from PENCOM, why not police?” while many were chanting, “Police dey work, PenCom dey chop.”

The retired officers said the aim of the protest is to call on President Bola Tinubu to assent to the Police Exit Bill passed by the National Assembly on December 4, 2025, and transmitted to the Presidency on March 16, 2026.

They reiteratedthat, the bill, if signed into law, would exempt police personnel from what they called a “slavery and untimely death-inducing pension scheme.”

Speaking in a video of the protest posted by Channels Television, a retired ASP, Nurudeen Dahiru, said, “We are not begging anybody. We have come to fight for our rights. We have suffered.

“We are not here to fight anybody. We are just here to demand for our rights. We have served for 35 years.

“According to the Constitution of the country, when you serve your country for 35 years, you should go home and rest. But see us suffering now. We are not able to take care of our children.

“We have no food to eat. We are dying. Silent killing. So this contributory pension scheme is a killer disease. 35 years is not easy. We are not here to fight anybody.”

Addressing news men, the National Coordinator of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria, CSP Raphael Irowainu (retd), who led the protest, said the group was at the Villa to press for the President’s assent to the bill exiting the police from the CPS.

“Our major aim here is to prevail on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sign our bill by removing police from the Contributory Pension Scheme passed by the National Assembly on 4th December 2025 and transmitted to him on 16th March 2026, into law, nothing more than that.

“The soldiers have been exited, the SSS has been exited, the Air Force has been exited, the Navy has been exited, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has been exited. The police, who are the father of them all, are trapped in this obnoxious Contributory Pension Scheme,” he said.

The protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations by retired police officers over the CPS.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has clarified that its Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, who received medical attention is now “hale and hearty.”

This is coming after he had nearly slumped when delivering a speech during an event at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The anti-graft agency made the clarification in a short statement it posted on its Facebook page.

“The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa is hale and hearty. This clarification became necessary following an incident today September 16, 2021, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja where he was giving a goodwill message to the National Identity Day celebration, felt unwell and had to return to his seat.

“He has since received medical attention and is due back at his desk,” the statement read.

By Muhammad Sabiu

The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, collapsed while delivering a speech during a programme at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Mr Bawa was said to have suddenly stopped talking when giving a goodwill message and was later held by the Minister of Communications and other individuals.

He later fell and was hurriedly rushed to the hospital.

As of the time of filing this report, no details have been provided as to why the anti-graft agency’s boss collapsed.