Ex-police officers cry out over nonpayment of pension

Retired police officers in the country Wednesday cried out over alleged neglect and abandonment by the federal government, lamenting non-payment.

They lamented that their monthly pensions have now become a thing of the past unlike their counterparts who retired from other federal government establishments.



Disclosing this, Dr. Moses Ejeka –founder and National President of Elders Club of Nigeria (aka pencom Rtd police officers) said at a one day crucial meeting of the former police officers held in Owerri that nonpayment of their paltry monthly pensions had continued to inflict unspeakable economic hardship on their families.

Ejeka regretted that after a meritorious 35 years of active service to the nation, the former police officers in the country had continued to suffer neglect marginalization and suppression.

He said that none of them had been found worthy for recognition and national Award by the Federal government unlike some members of the National Assembly.

“After 25 years of service, our money is being kept under the Pencom and we do not have access to it to take care of our families”.

He also observed with regret that despite being the first security agency established by the departed colonial masters in the country, the retired Police officers have now almost become a laughing stock in the eyes of the public due to neglect.

“Association of retired police officers is the umbrella body of all retired police officers in the country and a committee has been set up on how to bring all retired police officers together for us to forge ahead.

“We need to chat a way forward because the police is no longer the commanding force it used to be. For now, we the (Elders Club of Nigeria) is a pressure group.

“We have been in existence since 2010 and we are still ready to forge ahead because a lot of things have gone wrong”

Speaking also, a retired Commissioner of police in Ogun State Nicholas Daru Nkemdieme who retired in 2012 said that Association of Retired police officers in the country, being a registered body with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and recognized by the federal government had been in existence for some years now.

He said that pensions of retired police officers was in the past paid by the federal government until the emergence of pencom which took over the exercise and which was nothing to write home about.

“Those who retired under defined pencom scheme were 100% better than those who retired under pencom and because of this anomaly, those who retired under police pencom scheme established the elders forum pencom but refused to join the Association of retired police officers which now operate as elders forum instead of the Association of Retired police officers Association because they felt that the latter cannot, protect them.”