Despite the condition, he continued working in pain until his retirement in 2021.
A retired Superintendent of Police (SP), Adegbehin Adetarami, is currently fighting for his life in a traditional orthopaedic hospital in Ikorodu after spending N25 million on treatment of a spinal cord injury he sustained while serving in the Nigeria Police Force.
The retired police officer has exhausted his savings and sold his only house to fund his treatment.
According to information on a police group on Facebook, Adetarami was injured in 2017 during the course of duty but received no medical assistance from the Nigeria Police Force.
Despite the condition, he continued working in pain until his retirement in 2021.
“Retired SP Adegbehin Adetarami is battling for his life in a traditional orthopedic hospital in Ikorodu after spending over N25 million on treatment,” the post read.
“He sustained a spinal cord injury in 2017 while on active duty, yet the Police never supported him. He worked in pain until his retirement in 2021.”
According to the post, Adetarami’s gratuity of N2 million was paid two years after his retirement, while his current monthly pension is only N47,000 (about $30).
Adetarami’s financial strain has also reportedly forced two of his children to drop out of school, deepening the hardship for his family.
“His gratuity of just N2 million came after 2 years. His monthly pension is only N47,000 ($30),” it said.
“Two of his children have dropped out of school. He sold his only house to pay hospital bills.”
Adetarami’s plight reflects the wider struggles of retired police officers across Nigeria, many of whom have long lamented poor welfare and neglect after decades of service.
On July 21, 2025, human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore led a protest in Abuja, calling for better salaries for serving police officers and improved pension benefits for both retired and active officers.
The demonstration, which drew the participation of several activists and retired police personnel, highlighted the poor welfare conditions of security agents in Nigeria.
Protesters displayed placards with inscriptions such as ‘#PoliceProtest’, ‘Decent Salaries Now’, ‘End Police Slavery’, ‘Pension For Retired Officers’, and ‘Dignity For Those In Uniform’.
The protesters urged the Nigerian government to end what they described as systemic neglect of police welfare and implement urgent reforms to ensure fair treatment, adequate compensation, and a dignified retirement for those who serve in uniform.
The Nigerian Union of Retired Police Officers under the Contributory Pension Scheme, Kaduna chapter, had, in a letter addressed to the Inspector General of Police, described the July 21 protest as the “mother of all peaceful protests” in response to the hardship retired officers face under the current pension system.
The Union stated that the retired officers are suffering from “abject poverty,” which has resulted in “rampant deaths” among their ranks.
The retirees demanded urgent reforms in the pension system and an end to the contributory pension scheme, which they claim has failed to provide them with dignity in retirement.
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