The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) yesterday said it had launched a nationwide roll-call exercise to monitor and identify serving officers who may be showing support for an upcoming protest by retired police personnel scheduled for July 21.

The move Is seen as an attempt to curtail possible internal solidarity with the planned demonstration. The protest, being championed by a coalition of retired police officers, is aimed at drawing attention to years of poor welfare, inadequate pensions, and the perceived injustices under the current Contributory Pension Scheme.

Organizers have described the demonstration as the “Mother of All Peaceful Protests”. The planned action follows previous protests earlier in the year, notably a peaceful sit-out in Abuja between February 24 and March 3, which retirees claimed failed to prompt any meaningful response from the government.

As tensions grow ahead of the demonstration, sources within the police say that roll-call attendance is now being used to quietly track serving officers’ loyalty and discourage any covert or overt support for the retirees’ cause.

While no official statement has been issued by police authorities on the matter, insiders are of the view that the leadership of the force is wary of internal solidarity with the protesters.