BY NGOZI ONYEAKUSI

Retired Senior Police Officers forum has distanced itself from a planned nationwide protests.
The group in a statement signed by the
CP John D. Amadi (Rtd) Chairman Retired Senior Police Officers Platform noted,

“The attention of the Retired Senior Police Officers Platform, comprising retired Assistant Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners of Police and retired Commissioners of Police, led by CP John D. Amadi (Rtd) as Chairman and CP Fatai Owosheni (Rtd) as Co-Chairman, has been drawn to several media publications and press conferences credited to retired CSP Raphael Irowainu and his group known as the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria (PROF), wherein they purportedly issued an 11-day ultimatum to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assent to the Police Exit Bill, failing which they threatened nationwide protests.

Ordinarily, we would not have responded to such statements, but in the interest of clarity, institutional discipline, and to prevent the public from being misled, it has become necessary to issue this disclaimer.

First, we wish to unequivocally state that retired CSP Raphael Irowainu and his splinter group do NOT represent the generality of retired police officers under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

The recognized and longstanding structure that has engaged successive governments and relevant institutions on police retirees’ welfare issues for over a decade remains the Platform led in collaboration with Alhaji Lawal Manir and other senior retired police officers.

Retired CSP Raphael Irowainu only retired from service in March 2025 and was formerly part of the existing retirees’ structure before breaking away recently to form a parallel group whose actions and public pronouncements are capable of undermining ongoing constructive engagements with government and relevant stakeholders.

We consider it necessary to remind all concerned that the Nigeria Police Force is a disciplined institution, and officers, whether serving or retired, are expected to conduct themselves responsibly and in a manner that does not incite disaffection, undermine constituted authority, or jeopardize lawful negotiations being pursued in the collective interest of retirees.

While we acknowledge and share the concerns regarding the welfare challenges faced by retired police officers under the CPS, we firmly believe that such sensitive national issues must be handled through responsible dialogue, institutional engagement, and lawful negotiation — not through ultimatums, threats, inflammatory rhetoric, or actions capable of overheating the polity.

Following the withholding of Presidential assent to the Police Exit Bill reportedly passed by the National Assembly on

4 December 2025, the Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) initiated engagements with the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force and representatives of retirees with a view to exploring reforms within the CPS framework capable of substantially addressing the welfare concerns of police retirees.

Consequently, our Platform, in collaboration with CSP Alhaji Lawal Manir (Rtd) group, commenced structured negotiations with PENCOM and other relevant authorities. Our proposals and demands have since been formally submitted and are currently receiving due consideration.

Our approach is consistent with established principles governing trade disputes, labour relations, and conflict resolution, which prioritize dialogue, negotiation, and institutional procedure over confrontation.

We therefore dissociate ourselves entirely from any ultimatum, protest threat, or claim of “non-negotiable” positions credited to retired CSP Raphael Irowainu and his associates.

Members of the public, the media, government institutions, and security agencies are advised to disregard any representation made by that group as reflecting the collective position of retired police officers under the CPS.

We urge all retired police officers to remain calm, united, law-abiding, and supportive of the ongoing engagements aimed at securing sustainable and lawful improvements in the welfare of all police retirees.

Our Platform remains committed to constructive engagement with the Presidency, National Assembly, PENCOM, and the Nigeria Police leadership in pursuit of enduring pension reforms for police retirees”, he assured.