Nigerian Police Retirees Suspend Protest After Air Force Crash

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Police Retirees Suspend Protest Over Ondo Air Force Crash

Police retirees have suspended their nationwide protest following the Ondo Air Force crash, but PROF says its campaign for police exit from the CPS resumes October 12.

Atlantic Post

October 8, 2026

3–5 minutes

Contributory Pension Scheme, Nigeria Police Force, Ondo Air Force Crash, Police Exit Bill, Police Pension Reform, Police Retirees

Nigerian Police Retirees Suspend Nationwide Protest Over Ondo Air Force Crash, Resume October 12

The Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria says its nationwide protest for the removal of the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme has been suspended in honour of the 25 people killed in the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Ondo State.

The forum, operating under the banner “No Retreat, No Surrender,” said the demonstration would resume on Monday, October 12, 2026, after the three-day national mourning declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

PROF National Coordinator, CSP Raphael Irowainu (rtd.), announced the decision in a statement issued on Thursday, saying the forum had paused its protest to commiserate with the President, the Federal Government, the Nigerian Armed Forces and the families of those killed in the crash.

The Nigerian Air Force ATR-42, identified as NAF 931, crashed in the Igbokoda area of Ilaje Local Government Area, Ondo State, on October 5 while undertaking a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.

The Air Force later confirmed that 25 people — five crew members and 20 passengers — were on board and that there were no survivors.

PROF described the crash as a “monumental loss” and said the sacrifice of those who died in service to Nigeria would not be forgotten.

“The suspension is to enable the Forum to commiserate with His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; the Honourable Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (Rtd.); the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede; the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; the bereaved families; and the good people of Nigeria over the tragic loss,” Irowainu said.

President Tinubu declared three days of national mourning after the crash and directed that flags be flown at half-mast nationwide. He also ordered the Nigerian Air Force to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident.

Pension Protest Returns After Mourning

The suspension does not mark the end of the retirees’ campaign.

PROF reactivated its nationwide protest on September 29 after months of pressure on the Federal Government over the Police Exit Bill, which seeks to remove police personnel from the CPS. The forum says its members have been pushed into severe financial hardship by inadequate pension payments and rising living costs.

The retirees want President Tinubu to assent to the legislation already passed by the National Assembly.

The agitation goes beyond the retirees’ own pension entitlements. PROF argues that serving police officers should not remain under a pension arrangement that, in its view, leaves personnel who spend their careers confronting violence and insecurity financially vulnerable after retirement.

The forum has also demanded a dedicated Nigeria Police Force pension board and a transition to a Defined Benefit Scheme.

The Federal Ministry of Police Affairs met PROF representatives on October 5 and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing pension and welfare concerns affecting serving and retired police officers.

The ministry said it had already communicated its position to the Presidency and would send a further reminder on the issue. It also acknowledged that moving from the CPS to a Defined Benefit arrangement would require legal, executive and policy considerations.

For the retirees, those assurances have yet to resolve the central issue: whether President Tinubu will assent to the Police Exit Bill.

An Official Discrepancy Over the Crash Toll

There was also an early discrepancy in official accounts of the Ondo crash.

On the day of the accident, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said preliminary information indicated that 32 people were aboard the aircraft. The State House statement announcing the national mourning similarly referred to 25 passengers and seven crew members.

The Nigerian Air Force subsequently established that 25 people were on board, comprising 20 passengers and five crew members, and released their names.

The discrepancy has not been fully explained publicly, but the later NAF figure is the one confirmed in the Service’s casualty statement.

For the police retirees, the pause in their protest is temporary. PROF said the campaign would return to the streets on October 12, maintaining its demand for presidential assent to the Police Exit Bill.

The crash has briefly changed the rhythm of the confrontation. It has not changed the issue at its centre.