Heavy Protest Rocks Calabar As Protesters Storm Police Headquarters
After 35 years of service to the nation, a group of retired police officers expressed their displeasure with the federal government’s treatment of them. Following many requests for a restructure of their retirement benefits, they have been denied equal treatment with other security services.
A cross section of the protesters who braved the cold this morning to press their demands in front of the police Force HQ’s gate in Calabar spoke out about the shabby care they’ve got since they retired from active duty, with the majority of them going through pain and misery just to provide for their families.
SP Iwara Ibiang RTD, speaking through a spokesperson, decried the poor care they receive from the government after retirement, despite their meticulous service to the country.
“After 35 years, I was given less than N2.5 million in gratuity and a monthly pension of less than N40,000, with an ASP taking home monthly pension pay of N22,000 after waiting more than a year to get that meager pay,” he said. “We also want to exit the pension scheme that has cheated ex personnel on their retirement benefits.”
He also raised questions about the housing system, which he labeled a “scam” and called for its abolition, stating that widows of ex-police officers who died in active service had not earned a dime after many years.
After 35 years of service without having anything concrete to fall back on for survival, the ex-policemen appealed to the government for help.
Source: HarshFACTblog