The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has directed all Commissioners of Police across the country and in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to provide maximum security for the planned peaceful protest by retired police officers.
Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement.
He also cautioned against the spread of misinformation surrounding the protests scheduled to be held nationwide on Monday.
“The IGP has ordered that the rights of our retired officers who have chosen to protest must be protected, and the protest should serve as a model of dignified expression of grievance,” the Force spokesman said on Sunday.
Adejobi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, said that some narratives were being deliberately twisted to discredit the Federal Government and undermine the current leadership of the Nigeria Police Force.
A file photo of IGP Kayode Egbetokun
He said the call by retired officers to exit the Contributory Pension Scheme was not a recent development.
According to him, successive IGPs had backed the agitation, but progress had been hindered by statutory limitations, inter-agency complications, and fiscal constraints.
He warned against efforts by certain individuals to politicise the grievances of the retirees, describing such attempts as “disruptive and manipulative.”
He said, “It is disheartening to observe how certain actors have chosen to politicise a sensitive welfare issue, weaponising the legitimate grievances of our retired colleagues for ulterior motives.”
The IGP, therefore, directed all CPs to ensure the peaceful conduct of the protest within their jurisdictions, especially in the FCT and other states where formal notice has been received.
He directed them to provide adequate security coverage to the retired colleagues who had chosen to publicly express their grievances, prevent any hijack of the protest by miscreants, political actors, or non-retired agitators, and sensitise officers and men under their command on the constitutional rights to peaceful assembly.
He urged the CPs to show utmost respect to their retired colleagues while deploying intelligence and operational resources to protect lives, maintain public order, and safeguard institutional integrity.
Adejobi urged the protesters to ensure the protest is peaceful.
