The retired officer, visibly angry and emotional in the video, vowed to reject the payment and take his battle into his own hands.
An angry outburst by a retired Superintendent of Police has sparked widespread controversy over the treatment of Nigerian security personnel, after he condemned a ₦2 million retirement benefit as "an insult" following 35 years of dedicated service to the country.
The ex-police officer, who retired on October 1, 2023, voiced his frustration in an emotional video, asserting that the Nigerian Police Pension Board recently informed him that ₦3 million had been approved as his total retirement payout: ₦1 million in arrears from October 2023 to date, and ₦2 million as his full entitlement.
"What for?" he asked. "I served my country wholeheartedly."
The retired officer, visibly angry and emotional in the video, vowed to reject the payment and take his battle into his own hands.
He said, "I laugh-the Nigerian Police. I really do. I am a retired Superintendent of Police. I retired from the Nigerian Police on October 1st, 2023. Since then, nothing has been paid to me.
"Just two weeks ago, they called me and said they were going to pay me three million naira. For what? They said that was my pension.
"Lo and behold, the three million naira isn't even my full pension. One million naira is supposed to be arrears from the time I retired till now. The remaining two million naira is my entitlement.
"I cannot serve this country for 35 good years and be paid just two million naira. The devil is a liar. Please, let the Inspector-General of Police hear this.
"I was a Superintendent of Police before I retired. Even if your brother is a Superintendent of Police today and he's told to go home with two million naira as retirement benefit-ask yourself if that's fair.
"I am not accepting that money. I will not collect that money. Let my service be in vain if that's how they want it. I don't care. I have no money, but that two million naira won't change my life. It won't make me rich. It never will.
"I am not a rich man. I had hoped that after serving this country, I would have something reasonable to take home. But after retirement, all the police could give me was two million naira?
"What a shame. And I say, I served-yes, I served my fatherland. I served my country wholeheartedly. And now my benefit is two million naira? Please, I want the whole world to hear this. Two million naira for a Superintendent of Police?
"I want the Federal Government to do something about this. Even if the Federal Government won't act, I will fight my own battle in my own way. I will fight it the way I see fit. No problem. But let the Federal Government take action.
"How can I serve the Nigerian Police-dedicate my life, my commitment, my energy, everything to this country-and after 35 years, all I get is two million naira? For what? For what? For what? Come on."
"You will learn. You will learn the hard way," he added.
In January, SaharaReporters reported that the Nigeria Police Force paid a retired policewoman, DSP Esther Marcos, only ₦1.7 million in gratuity after she dedicated 35 years to the force.
Marcos, who retired on November 1, 2018, spoke out about her struggles with the contributory pension scheme.
She lamented that after her retirement, her pension payments were initially delayed, and she only received ₦1.7 million as gratuity after waiting for over a year.
She also noted that after finally receiving her ₦1.7 million gratuity, she had to wait an additional three months before she began receiving her monthly pension of ₦40,000.
The experiences of these retired officers are not isolated incidents. The non-payment or delayed payment of contributory pensions by the Nigeria Police Force has been a longstanding issue affecting officers for over a decade.
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