Police Pension: Retirees Seek Government Intervention

By Chiemelie Ezeobi

A group of retired policemen have appealed to the government especially the members of the National Assembly to prevail on the appropriate  authorities to pay their entitlements, deservedly so, after  years of  meritorious service to the nation. 

Those affected include Mr. Solomon Jegede,  Abiodun Sanni, Olawale Oludotun, Tiamiyu Adeyemi, Waheed Bello, Kayode Bamidele (late) and Jimoh Rabiu. 

It was gathered that while the rest were paid only their gratuities, two others; Sanni and the late Bamidele have neither been paid pension nor gratuity.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues,  Mr. Abiodun Sanni, a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) said they were demobilised  from the Nigerian Army in 1979 to the 

police.

According to him, after years of meritoriously serving the nation, they have not been paid their entitlements since retiring from the force in 2006.

He said they were paid gratuities covering only 25years instead of 35years they put in service.

He said, "We were all transferred from the Nigerian Army to the police and we were asked to pay back the money we collected from the army to the treasury, which we all did in order to receive our full benefits on retirement.

"But to our surprise, some of us were paid for 25 years instead of 35years, while others were not paid at all.”

He therefore urged the National Assembly to come to their rescue and save them from hardship."

He lamented that in the quest to make ends meet, one of the pensioners, Bamidele was killed in an accident recently. 

He said, “One of us, Bamidele was killed by a hit-and-run driver while doing commercial motorcycle business because there was nothing he could do after retirement. 

"Up till today, the driver of the vehicle which hit him has failed to show up and four of the victim’s children have dropped out of school because of lack of funds to pay their fees as their mother who is the only one assisting them has fallen sick and can’t do anything.” 

He claimed all efforts to get the Police pensions office to have their papers processed has proved abortive.