Retired Correctional Officers Appeal to FG Over Welfare, Delayed Gratuities

 Retired officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Kogi State have appealed to the Federal Government to urgently address what they described as poor retirement benefits and prolonged delays in the payment of gratuities.

The appeal was made on Thursday in Lokoja during the inauguration of the pioneer executives of the Retired Correctional Officers Association, Kogi State chapter. The association said improving the welfare of former correctional personnel should be treated as an important responsibility after years of service to the country.

The pioneer chairman of the association, retired Controller of Corrections Saliu Musa-Halima, said many former officers were struggling with inadequate retirement benefits and health-related challenges after leaving active service.

Musa-Halima described the situation facing some retirees as difficult, saying many had been left with insufficient resources to meet their basic needs after spending years working within the correctional system.

He appealed to the Federal Government to pay greater attention to the welfare of retired correctional officers, arguing that the role they played in maintaining the country's criminal justice system should not be forgotten once they leave active service.

According to him, correctional institutions occupy an important position in national security because offenders committed to custody must be safely held while their cases are dealt with by the justice system. He therefore called for better welfare arrangements for personnel who have served in the sector.

The association's Publicity Secretary, retired Deputy Controller of Corrections Umar Abubakar, acknowledged that there had been improvements in the salaries and allowances of serving correctional personnel under the current administration.

He said, however, that retirees continued to face difficulties, particularly over access to their pension-related entitlements. Abubakar identified delays in payments processed through the pension system as one of the major challenges confronting former officers.

Abubakar, who said he retired in November, disclosed that he had yet to access his gratuity, using his experience to illustrate the difficulties some retirees face after leaving the service. He appealed to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to examine the issues affecting retirees and seek solutions to delays in accessing their entitlements.

The retirees also said they should not be viewed solely as beneficiaries of government support but as professionals whose experience could still contribute to national security.

Abubakar called on the Kogi State Government and private organisations to consider retired correctional officers for security and intelligence-related positions. He argued that their experience in security operations and psychological profiling could remain valuable after retirement.

The association also said its cooperative and correctional welfare insurance scheme had provided some support to retiring members, with retirees reportedly able to access between N2 million and N3 million depending on their rank.

The call for improved welfare comes against the background of wider concerns over conditions affecting correctional personnel. A Federal Government investigative panel on the Nigerian Correctional Service, whose report was presented to the Interior Minister in June 2026, identified issues including delayed staff arrears, inadequate welfare packages, poor accommodation, promotion delays and pension-related concerns among broader systemic challenges within the service.

The panel's findings provide wider context for the retirees' concerns, although the association's latest appeal specifically focuses on the circumstances of former correctional officers and their access to retirement benefits.

The newly inaugurated Kogi executives said they would advocate timely payment of gratuities and pensions, improved welfare for retirees and greater opportunities for former correctional personnel to contribute their expertise to security arrangements at both state and national levels.

The association's appeal now places the welfare of retired correctional officers before the relevant authorities, particularly over the reported delays in accessing retirement entitlements. For the retirees, the issue is not only about receiving payments on time but also about ensuring that years of service to the correctional system are followed by adequate support in retirement.