Adegbehin Adetarami, a retired Superintendent of Police, is fighting for his life in a traditional orthopedic hospital in Ikorodu. Once an officer who put his body on the line for Nigeria, he now lies in pain after spending over ₦25 million treating a spinal cord injury he sustained in the line of duty back in 2017.
Instead of support, Adetarami says he was abandoned by the Nigeria Police Force. He pushed through the pain, working until his retirement in 2021, only to be handed a gratuity of just ₦2 million—paid two years late. Today, his pension is a meagre ₦47,000 monthly, barely enough for survival.
In desperation, the retired officer sold his only house to keep up with medical bills. The financial strain has been so heavy that two of his children have dropped out of school, leaving his family trapped in hardship while he struggles to stay alive.
His plight mirrors the sad reality of countless retired officers across Nigeria—men and women who gave their best years to service but are left with little dignity in retirement. Recently, activist Omoyele Sowore led a protest in Abuja, demanding better pay and pension reforms for police officers, both serving and retired. The call was clear: those who protect the nation deserve protection too.
Retired officers under the Contributory Pension Scheme also raised their voices, describing their suffering as “abject poverty” that has led to rampant deaths among their ranks. Their message was loud but heartbreaking—decades of service should not end in neglect.
