• Police, POCACOV, NAOSNP, NURTW Unite for Peace
Picnews
As Nigeria approaches another election cycle, the Lagos State Police Command has intensified its peace-building efforts, urging youths to reject political thuggery, digital violence, cultism, drug abuse and other criminal activities.
The call was made during a Peace Walk organised to commemorate International Youth Day 2026, themed “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.” The event also featured the formal launch of the Command’s Campaign Against Political and Digital Thuggery.
Leading the walk, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Tijani Fatai, said the initiative was designed to sensitise youths and the general public to the dangers of violence and other social vices.
According to him, the campaign is particularly important as the country moves closer to another election period, warning that young people are often targeted for recruitment into political violence.
Fatai urged youths not to allow themselves to be used as instruments by politicians, stressing that those who sponsor political violence rarely expose their own children to the associated risks.
He, however, urged young Nigerians not to see themselves as “nobodies,” emphasising that every young person has a valuable role to play in the country’s future.
“There is nobody that is nobody. All of us are very important at this point. For the fact that we have not attained that high position does not make us nobody. Tomorrow is there for us,” he said.
The police commissioner advised youths to reject any offer to participate in electoral violence, noting that involvement in thuggery, drug abuse and other criminal activities could jeopardise their future.
He also called for stronger collaboration between the police, young people and communities in promoting peace and security.
The initiative received support from stakeholders in the transport and business sectors.
Comrade Isiaka Apena, Branch Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Ikeja Branch ‘B’, commended the police for combining enforcement with public education. He urged transport workers to reject attempts to recruit them into electoral violence and promote peace within their communities.
Similarly, Germanus Anika, Public Relations Officer of PAVDA, representing phone sellers in Computer Village, expressed support for the campaign and reaffirmed the commitment of its members to law and order.
A representative of the NYSC also urged youths to shun drug abuse, cybercrime and violence, while SP Olivia Ugochukwu, State Coordinator of POCACOV, reinforced the campaign with a call on young people to reject thuggery, hard drugs and cultism.
The Peace Walk brought together stakeholders and youth-focused organisations, including the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), NYSC, POCACOV, NANS, PCRC, NURTW, RTEAN, CRAN and the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP).
The event commenced with physical exercises led by the Command’s Officer-in-Charge of Sports, ASP Gregory Sylvester.
The Lagos Police Command said the campaign forms part of broader efforts to strengthen police-community partnerships and encourage youths to become active participants in peace-building, security and national development.
The initiative ultimately underscored the need for young Nigerians to protect their future by refusing to become tools for political violence, particularly as the country approaches another election season.
