A delegation of retired senior police officers, led by former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Maigari Dikko, visited the Police Service Commission (PSC) on Wednesday to seek urgent intervention regarding their deteriorating post-retirement conditions and poor benefits. The officers, members of the 1986 Cadet ASP Course 14 from the Police College in Ikeja, expressed concerns over being neglected and receiving inadequate pension benefits.
During the meeting, the delegation, which included several retired top-ranking officers, voiced their dissatisfaction with their current monthly pensions, which stand at approximately N73,000 for retired Commissioners of Police, while their military counterparts receive over N300,000. They warned that this disparity poses a potential security threat and called for parity between military and police pensions, as seen in other countries.
The delegation also raised concerns about the current state of the Nigeria Police Force, lamenting that many police officers are assigned to private homes rather than public duties, which they argued compromises national security. They urged the Federal Government to withdraw police officers from private security duties to allow them to focus on securing the nation.
In response, DIG Hashimu Argungu (rtd), Chairman of the Police Service Commission, pledged the commission’s commitment to addressing the concerns of retired officers and restoring the dignity of the Nigeria Police Force. He mentioned that some retired officers would be engaged in the commission’s Quality Assurance Unit to leverage their expertise in managing police personnel effectively. Argungu also emphasized that the PSC would support efforts to ensure retired officers’ children could be recruited into the force through the Police Academy or direct recruitment.
DIG Taiwo Lakanu, recently appointed as a Commissioner in the PSC by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, assured his course mates that their concerns would be addressed, highlighting the importance of maintaining their close relationship and working together to improve the situation for retired officers.
Other members of the delegation included DIG Abdulmajid Ali, AIG U.U. Shehu Ambursa, and AIG Alapini.
The meeting was seen as a crucial step towards securing better post-service welfare for retired officers, with assurances from the PSC that steps would be taken to improve their living conditions.