Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, on Monday led a protest in Abuja demanding better salaries for Nigerian police officers and improved pension benefits for retired personnel.

The demonstration, which gathered activists, retired officers, and civil society groups, aimed to spotlight the worsening welfare conditions of security personnel in Nigeria, especially under the controversial contributory pension scheme.

Protesters held placards with messages like:

  • “#PoliceProtest”

  • “Decent Salaries Now”

  • “End Police Slavery”

  • “Pension for Retired Officers”

  • “Dignity for Those in Uniform”

They accused the government of systemic neglect of police welfare, urging swift reforms to ensure officers receive fair pay, dignified service conditions, and a secure retirement.

This comes ahead of a planned nationwide protest by the Nigerian Union of Retired Police Officers (Kaduna Chapter) scheduled for July 21, 2025. In a letter signed by retired CSP Mannir M. Lawal Zaria, retirees lamented that the current pension system has subjected them to poverty, leading to “rampant deaths” among retired officers.

“We are coming to Abuja for the mother of all peaceful protests due to the abject poverty that we find ourselves in,” the union declared, with plans to march to the National Assembly and the Force Headquarters.

The growing agitation underscores deep dissatisfaction within Nigeria’s security apparatus, with calls mounting for the government to review welfare policies for both serving and retired officers.