BREAKING: Embattled Police IG Egbetokun Returns To Nigeria Amid Threat Of Nationwide Police Strike, Protest Over Poor Welfare

Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, whose continued stay in office has been a subject of growing controversy, returned to Nigeria on Thursday amid rising tension over a looming nationwide strike by police officers.

Egbetokun arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos from an undisclosed foreign trip and immediately departed for Abuja on Thursday evening.

His hurried return comes as police personnel intensify mobilisation for a potential nationwide strike over poor salaries and a lack of housing, among other issues.

“Egbetokun, who is visibly afraid of the planned police strike, just landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos from abroad,” said a source who sighted the police chief.

“He has left for Abuja now.”

Insiders told SaharaReporters that the growing threat of civil unrest and planned mass protests in key cities has recently become a major source of concern for Egbetokun.

Controversy Over Egbetokun’s Continued Stay In Office

There have been calls for Egbetokun’s removal by critics who question the legality of his continued stay in office after reaching the mandatory retirement age. Civil society organisations and opposition figures have accused the Bola Tinubu administration of undermining institutional integrity by allowing Egbetokun to remain in his position beyond constitutional limits.

Planned Protest And Strike Action

A coalition of serving and retired police officers in Nigeria has announced plans for a nationwide protest and potential strike action in response to longstanding grievances over poor welfare conditions and inadequate pension arrangements.

The agitation is spearheaded by two major groups: the Retired Police Officers under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and the Concerned Officers and Men of the Nigeria Police Force, representing serving personnel.

These groups have expressed deep dissatisfaction with the current pension structure and welfare provisions, which they argue have left many officers impoverished and neglected after years of service.

Retired officers claim the CPS has failed to provide adequate post-retirement security. Many allege delays in payments, lack of gratuities, and meagre monthly stipends.

There is a growing demand for the police to be exempted from the CPS and returned to a defined benefit pension scheme.

Serving officers cite poor salaries, lack of housing, inadequate healthcare, and insufficient insurance coverage. Activists, including Omoyele Sowore, have called for an improved salary for police personnel.

Sowore is pushing for a minimum monthly salary between N300,000 and N500,000 for rank-and-file officers, highlighting the disparity between their earnings and those of lawmakers.

On July 21, 2025, Retired police officers under the CPS plan to stage a nationwide peaceful protest, being called the “Mother of All Peaceful Protests”.

Meanwhile, serving and retired officers have issued a 30-day ultimatum, starting June 27, to the government. If their demands are not met, they threaten to begin a nationwide strike.

Earlier on Thursday, SaharaReporters reported that Egbetokun had issued a stern warning to police officers nationwide, directing them to refrain from making public statements about the police pension scheme.

In a statement released on Wednesday by the Admin Officer I, Department of Operations, FCT Police Command, Abuja, CSP Nasiru Gusau, the IGP expressed concern over the increasing complaints regarding the poor state of the pension system for police personnel.

He noted that while the concerns were acknowledged, efforts were ongoing at the highest level to engage relevant stakeholders and secure better post-service welfare for officers.

The IGP emphasised that all police personnel must refrain from making unguarded statements capable of portraying the Nigeria Police Force as undisciplined.

He warned that any breach of this directive would not be tolerated.

The statement read, "The Inspector General of Police is miffed about the general complaint of poor pension system for police officers. However, he has been engaging with relevant stakeholders at the highest level to ensure that Police officers are happy after retirement. The Inspector General of Police therefore directs you refrain from making unguided public statement that may portray our organization as indiscipline forthwith. You are all warned for compliance."

On 27 June, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that officers of the Nigeria Police Force, both serving and retired, had issued a 30-day ultimatum to the Nigerian government, demanding urgent reforms to what they describe as a flawed and oppressive pension system.

In a formal notice addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, the Minister of Police Affairs, and the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the officers warned of a nationwide strike if their concerns were not addressed.

The officers lamented years of neglect, stating that after decades of risking their lives to safeguard the nation, they were being subjected to post-retirement hardship, poverty, and humiliation.

They decried the current pension arrangement, which they claimed had stripped them of dignity and left many unable to meet basic needs.

The officers are demanding a comprehensive overhaul of the pension system, the establishment of a dedicated police pension board, and full implementation of improved benefits.

In a statement signed on behalf of the Concerned Officers and Men of the Nigeria Police Force, the group announced that starting June 27, 2025, they would take action if immediate reforms to the Nigeria Police Pension Scheme were not implemented.

They emphasised that the ultimatum served as a final warning to the Nigerian government and relevant authorities.

According to them, while the Nigerian police plays a vital role in maintaining internal security, it receives the least support in terms of retirement benefits—an issue they described as not only shameful but an insult to the nation.

The aggrieved officers stated that numerous appeals and demands for pension reform had been ignored, adding, "Enough is enough.

They warned that failure to address these demands within the 30-day window would result in further action, including a possible industrial strike action.

The statement read, "We, the officers and members of the Nigeria Police Force, both active and retired, must deliver this final warning to the Nigerian government and its relevant authorities. 

"For too long, we have faced unbearable hardship, neglect, and injustice under a flawed and harmful pension system. Despite years of sacrifice and brave service to maintain peace and order in our nation, our dignity in retirement has been reduced to meager payments, broken promises, and ongoing suffering. 

"The Nigeria Police is crucial to internal security, yet it receives the least support in retirement benefits. This is not just shameful; it is an insult to the nation. We have made many appeals and demands for pension reform. Enough is enough.” 

"We issue a 30-day ultimatum starting June 27, 2025, for the immediate start of reforms to the Nigeria Police Pension Scheme," they said.

Their demands include: "A complete overhaul of the current contributory pension system as it relates to the Police. A shift to a fair and dedicated police pension structure under the defined benefit scheme. 

"Immediate payment of all unpaid benefits and gratuities to retired officers. Legislative and executive actions that ensure long-term protection of police retirees' welfare."

The aggrieved police officers stated that if, by August 1, 2025, the Nigerian government did not demonstrate a genuine commitment to implementing these demands, they would initiate a nationwide strike and withdraw their services.

"This action will be unprecedented in the history of the Nigerian security sector,” they said.

"Let it be clear: This will not be a symbolic protest. This will be a large-scale industrial action that could disrupt all internal security across the country. 

"The government and the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force will be responsible for the consequences. We cannot continue to accept empty promises while our members struggle in poverty.” 

"This is about justice, dignity, and survival. Let wisdom prevail before the situation escalates," they added.