Criminalise Non-Payment of Pensions in Nigeria, Lawyer Demands After Tear Gas Incident

A legal practitioner and public affairs analyst, Maxwell Okpara, has called for the criminalisation of pension non-payment in Nigeria following reports that police fired tear gas at pensioners protesting for their unpaid entitlements in Lagos.

Okpara made the call on Thursday during an interview with Arise Television, where he criticised the reported police response to the peaceful demonstration by the senior citizens.

The lawyer said pensioners who spent decades serving the country should not be forced to protest before receiving money they are legally entitled to. He also called on the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to apologise to the affected pensioners and Nigerians.

“It is high time we criminalise non-payment of pensions. The Commissioner of Police should tender an apology to Nigerians and senior citizens,” Okpara said.

He questioned why citizens who had dedicated as much as 35 years to public service would still have to fight for their pension payments after retirement.

“Why should they deny something everyone saw? The question is how it got to this, for someone to serve this country for 35 years and still have to ask for their own money,” he said.

Okpara described the situation as unacceptable and argued that pensioners should not be subjected to hardship or police action when demanding their entitlements. “Pay me my pension, and instead you allow this person to protest. It is high time we criminalise non-payment of pensions. It is a gross violation of human rights,” he stated.

His comments have renewed attention on the challenges faced by pensioners in Nigeria, particularly concerns over delayed payments and the treatment of retirees who resort to protests to demand their outstanding entitlements.