The wives of retired Nigerian police officers on Tuesday joined their husbands in a protest at the National Assembly, decrying the poor welfare conditions faced by their families.
They lamented that during their husbands’ years of active service, the officers were not provided with basic protective gear, such as bulletproof vests, and were often the first to be hit by bullets during operations.
The women, who marched alongside some retired officers and widows of those who died in service, said many families of fallen policemen had been abandoned without any form of assistance from the Nigeria Police Force or the government.
They also called on the Nigerian government to remove the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), describing it as a fraudulent system that has worsened the suffering of retired officers and their families.
One of the officers’ spouses said, “We are ready, and we are telling the National Assembly now; they should remove retired policemen from the pension scheme with immediate effect.
“It is our right. Let them give retired police officers their rights because the suffering is too much. Our children are suffering.
“When our husbands were serving, they had no bulletproof vests or protective gear. They were the first to be shot in any operation. And the widows whose husbands died have not been paid their gratuities.”
“Before they even call us to come and collect our husbands’ gratuities, they will demand to sleep with us or our children.
“You can imagine such wickedness. Why is the police authority so indifferent? Enough is enough. They should please answer us,” the protester said.
SOURCE: SaharaReporters
