The presidential candidate of the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concern over the plight of retired police officers with a stipend of N29, 000 monthly pension, noting that they have been reduced to beggars.
Atiku accused President Bola Tinubu of abandoning retired police officers to poverty, hunger and illness, demanding an immediate resolution of the Police Exit Bill and an urgent review of salaries for serving personnel.
Atiku said the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the bill, coupled with inadequate pensions and rising living costs, had left retired officers struggling to survive after decades of risking their lives to protect Nigerians.
He also condemned a situation in which serving police officers allegedly withdraw part of their pension savings to feed their families, warning that the development undermines their financial security and exposes them to hardship long before retirement.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential hopeful made the allegations in a statement issued on Sunday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.
Atiku’s intervention comes amid renewed agitation by retired police officers, some of whom recently gathered outside the National Assembly with their wives and children to demand action on the Police Exit Bill and relief from worsening pension conditions.
Recounting the plight of the retirees, Atiku said a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police had told him that he received a monthly pension of only N29,000, an amount he questioned whether anyone could survive on under the prevailing economic conditions.
According to Atiku, the retired officer also disclosed that more than 120 members of his association had died within three years, a development he cited as an indication of the severe difficulties confronting former police personnel.
The former vice president also narrated the experience of a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police who, after years of service, allegedly resorted to searching for menial jobs to survive before she was found begging at the Central Mosque in Abuja.
Atiku said his media team member who encountered the woman brought her condition to his attention, prompting an intervention to assist her.
However, he argued that such interventions could only provide temporary relief and could not replace a reliable pension system that guarantees dignity and financial security after retirement.
He also cited the case of a retired police officer in Bauchi who reportedly resorted to gathering firewood for sale to afford food, describing the situation as a painful contradiction for someone who had spent years serving the country.
The ADC chieftain said the experiences illustrated how officers who once enforced the law and protected citizens could end up struggling to meet basic needs after leaving the force.
Atiku expressed particular concern over the Police Exit Bill, which he said was forwarded to Tinubu in March but had yet to receive a decisive response as of October.
He argued that the delay had prolonged uncertainty for retired officers who were looking to the proposed legislation for relief from their pension difficulties.
Citing Section 58 of the constitution, Atiku said the president had 30 days to signify assent to a bill presented to him or withhold assent, insisting that retired police officers deserved a clear explanation of the bill’s status.
He called on 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, stressing that officers who had enforced the nation’s laws for decades should not have to protest outside the legislature to secure attention to their welfare.
Atiku’s demand places the spotlight on the institutional responsibility of the executive and legislature to clarify the bill’s status and address the concerns of retired police personnel.
Beyond the plight of retirees, Atiku raised concerns about the financial pressures confronting serving police officers, alleging that some had withdrawn 25 percent of their pension savings to provide food and other necessities for their families.
He attributed the situation to rising prices of food, transportation and medicines, which he said had outpaced the capacity of police salaries to sustain households.
