VIDEO: Retired police officer laments ’40k monthly pension’ after 35-year service

Esther Marcus, a woman who claims to be a retired deputy superintendent of police (DSP), has criticised the “poor treatment of retirees” under the contributory pension scheme. 

In a viral video, Marcus described the contributory pension scheme as “dirty,” noting that she was paid N1.7 million as her gratuity and placed on a monthly pension of N40,000 after 35 years of service.

“My name is Esther Marcus, a retired DSP of the Nigerian Police Force. I retired on November 1, 2018,” she said

“I just want to use myself as a case study. It is applicable to every other police officer under this dirty contributory pension scheme.”

Recounting her experience, Marcus said she joined the force at age 16 and served for 35 years.

“After serving for 35 years… I waited for over a year before I was given N1.7 million,” she added. 

“Then, after waiting for another three months, they started paying me N40,000 as my monthly pension… That applies to every other policeman and policewoman who retired under this dirty scheme called the contributory pension scheme.”

Marcus alleged that the federal government had ignored the plight of police retirees despite repeated appeals and public hearings.

She criticised the disparity in treatment between police retirees and those from other security agencies like the Nigerian Army and Department of Secret Service (DSS), who she claimed did not face similar challenges.

VIDEO: Retired DSP laments ‘meagre’ N1.7m gratuity, N40k monthly pension after 35 years of service pic.twitter.com/JKG9KSuvFg

— TheCable (@thecableng) January 3, 2025

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“This struggle has been ongoing for over 10 years now… They are aware of what we’re going through. They’ve held about three or four public hearings on this case. But when the Army was retiring, the DSS and other paramilitary forces, there was nothing like a public hearing,” she said.

Marcus urged police retirees to occupy the national assembly to demand justice, saying the government’s indifference has exacerbated their suffering.

“We will not stop fighting. What we are planning now is to go and occupy their National Assembly and call CNN to cover the whole programme,” she said.

“Anyone who is against us will not escape from this evil bondage, that person, that man, that group who doesn’t want the police to be exempted from this evil— they are vultures because a vulture only waits for its victim to die, then it comes to feed. And that’s what’s been happening.

“You want the police, knowing fully well that when they retire, they are going into hell; you want them to stop corruption? They will continue collecting. They will continue extorting. They will continue enriching themselves by whatever means they can.”