A retired police officer on Thursday collapsed at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, during a mass protest by hundreds of former members of the Nigeria Police Force demanding payment of their unpaid pensions and benefits.

The protesters, many of them elderly and visibly weak, gathered at the main entrance of the National Assembly carrying placards with inscriptions such as “We Are Dying in Silence,” “Pay Us Our Pensions,” and “35 Years of Service, Nothing to Show.”

The protest caused a temporary disruption of movement within the complex, as the retirees chanted solidarity songs and accused the Federal Government of abandoning them after years of loyal service.

Eyewitnesses reported that one of the protesters, believed to be in his late 70s, collapsed suddenly while chanting with his colleagues. Fellow retirees and security personnel quickly rushed to his aid, and medical assistance was immediately called. The man was later revived after receiving first aid on the scene.

The protesters, under the banner of the Contributory Pension Scheme Police Retirees Association, decried the “wickedness and neglect” of the Nigerian state, alleging that the current Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) has left them impoverished despite decades of service.

They demanded that retired police officers be removed from the CPS and returned to the old Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS), which they say provides more stable and humane post-service welfare.

In October, human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore had joined the retirees in a similar protest at the National Assembly, calling for the scrapping of the CPS.

Sowore described the current pension system as a “fraudulent arrangement” that strips dignity from those who dedicated their lives to public service.

“I’m not just fighting for the police; I’m fighting with retired policemen,” he told protesters. “Those in power must understand that Nigerians will not continue to suffer in silence.”

The activist further condemned the lavish lifestyle of the political elite while pensioners live in hardship, urging unity among all retirees across the nation’s security and civil service sectors.

“Everyone should be here — from Customs, Immigration, Civil Defence, DSS, and even the civil service — because they all face the same injustice,” he added.