Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, launched a blistering attack on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Sunday, October 18, 2026, over what he described as the government’s “heartless abandonment and severe hardship” inflicted upon retired Nigerian police officers.
Addressing journalists and political correspondents at a press briefing held at 11:00 AM at the ADC Campaign Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, Atiku accused the current administration of forcing national heroes, who spent decades putting their lives on the line for the country’s security, to wallow in systemic poverty, disease, and public humiliation.
Speaking through the ADC Campaign Council’s Chief Spokesperson, Chief Dele Momodu, the former Vice President highlighted what he termed an unpardonable legislative and executive failure regarding police pensions and welfare.
“It is a national shame that men and women who served this country with distinction are today reduced to beggars on the streets, while the administration turns a blind eye to their plight,” Momodu said, reading from the prepared statement titled A Nation That Desecrates Its Protectors Cannot Enjoy Peace.
Central to Atiku’s rebuke was President Tinubu’s prolonged inaction on the landmark Police Pension Exit Bill. According to the ADC candidate, the bill, which seeks to remove the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and establish a dedicated Police Pension Board, was passed by both chambers of the National Assembly and transmitted to the executive in March 2026.
Under Section 58 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the President is granted 30 days to either signify his assent or withhold it.
“Seven months after the National Assembly submitted the Police Exit Bill to the Presidency, Mr. President has neither signed it into law nor returned it to the legislature with objections,” Atiku stated. “This deliberate foot-dragging reflects an utter disregard for the rule of law and the well-being of our senior security officers.”
To underscore the severity of the crisis, the ADC candidate detailed several grim accounts gathered during his recent nation-wide consultations with police retiree associations:
Atiku highlighted the case of a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) receiving a monthly pension of just ₦29,000, revealing that over 120 members of that regional retiree association had reportedly passed away over the last three years due to poverty and lack of medical care.
He cited the situation of a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) who was reduced to seeking menial labor, including cleaning services, outside the Abuja Central Mosque simply to afford basic groceries.
In Bauchi State, a retired officer was spotted in a faded uniform gathering and selling firewood along the highway to feed his family.
Atiku added that serving officers are not spared, revealing that many currently draw down up to 25% of their accumulated pension funds prematurely just to cover basic living expenses and pay school fees for their children.
The former Vice President urged the leadership of the National Assembly to formally declare the status of the Police Exit Bill and hold a roll-call vote on constitutional mechanisms to override the executive veto if President Tinubu continues to ignore the measure.
Looking ahead to the upcoming elections, Atiku pledged that an ADC-led government starting in May 2027 would immediately roll out the Police Dignity Guarantee Plan, featuring; Fully subsidised, comprehensive medical coverage for serving and retired police officers and their immediate dependents.
Establishing a minimum pension floor tied directly to prevailing economic inflation indicators, restructuring operational pay scales and transitioning police pensions out of the CPS framework into a dedicated administrative board and replacing arduous physical verification parades with home-visit checks for elderly and disabled retirees.
As of Sunday evening, the Presidency had not officially responded to the statements made by the ADC campaign council.
