Retired police officers protest over pension as Osinbajo visits Bauchi

Retired police officers' association in Bauchi State has staged a
protest demanding their immediate exclusion from the police pension
scheme like other security organisations.

The protest is coming even as the Vice President Yemi Osibanjo is
expected to visit the state Tuesday.

Chairman of the police retirees, Abdullahi Bakeri, while briefing
journalists at NUJ Secretariat on Tuesday, claimed that the police
pension scheme is a fraud, and an attempt to deprive the retirees.

"It's unfortunate that police retirees have been abandoned to the
dustbin compared to what other security retirees enjoyed monthly as
pension yet FG has failed to exclude police retirees from such scheme
that is fraudulent," he said.

Bakeri lamented that police retirees' children are now street urchins
since their parents cannot pay school fees with a take-home of N20,000
monthly pension.

He added that many of their members have died due to diseases they
cannot cure, while their pension contributions are lying with pension
managers.

The association demanded justice, and called for the intervention of
the Federal Government, as well as national and state legislatures.

"We have severally pleaded with the NASS intervention yet nothing is
done to address our grievances, where did FG want us to take our plea
since we cannot afford three square meal," Bakeri said.

The protest, according to the chairman, was staged to coincide with
the Vice President's visit to Bauchi to inform the Federal Government
of their demands for justice over their plights after failed attempts
at getting solutions.

"We blame the police authorities for all our challenges. We blamed
them for the poor and paltry monthly pension we receive. We want
Federal Government's intervention," the chairman said.