As Nigeria moves steadily towards another election cycle, the Lagos State Police Command has taken its peace-building campaign to the streets, urging young Nigerians to reject political violence, digital thuggery, cultism and drug abuse and refuse to become instruments in the hands of politicians whose own children are rarely exposed to the dangers of electoral violence. The message formed the centrepiece of the Command’s Peace Walk to commemorate International Youth Day 2026, themed “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” during which the Campaign Against Political and Digital Thuggery was formally launched. The initiative is also in furtherance of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu’s vision of deepening police-community partnerships and positioning young people as active partners in peace, security and national development, National Association of Online Security News Publishers, NAOSNP can report.
Leading the walk, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Tijani Fatai, said the exercise was designed not merely as a ceremonial event but as a deliberate effort to sensitise young people and the wider public to the dangers of violence and other social vices. “It is not in vain. Out there, people would have known by now what youth stands for. We are sensitising the youth, and not just the youth alone, the general populace, on the need to escape violence, thuggery, drug abuse, cultism and all of the vices you can think about.”
The CP, who expressed concern over the approaching election period, warned youths against allowing themselves to be recruited as instruments of political violence. “Most especially this time around that we are getting into the election period, we all know that the people that are to be used, or that have been used in the past, are the youth. None of these politicians will use any of their children for electioneering, thuggery or violence. It is these different children of nobody.”
He, however, rejected the notion that any young Nigerian should consider himself a “nobody”, urging youths to protect their future rather than sacrifice it for temporary political benefits. “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. We should not think of today; we should always think of tomorrow.”
Fatai further charged youths to reject any invitation to electoral violence, stressing that involvement in drug abuse, thuggery and criminality could permanently destroy the future they are expected to build. “If anybody comes to us and uses us for any electoral violence, we should not allow it. We should dissociate ourselves so that our future can be better.”
The message received support from the transport sector, with Comrade Isiaka Apena, Branch Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Ikeja Branch ‘B’, commending the police for complementing enforcement with public education. “I’ve seen police at another level. It’s not only by arrest, but by educating our people. That election is coming. Don’t let them use you as a ballot box snatcher.” He pledged to take the message back to transport workers, urging members to promote peace across their communities.
Similarly, Germanus Anika, Public Relations Officer of PAVDA, representing phone sellers in Computer Village, assured the police that its members remained law-abiding and opposed to political thuggery, drugs and cultism.
A representative of the NYSC youth corps members also urged young people to protect their future by shunning drug abuse, cybercrime and violence, while SP Olivia Ugochukwu, State Coordinator, POCACOV, reinforced the message with a blunt warning: “Shun thuggery. Drugs kill. Say no to hard drugs and cultism.”
The walk, which brought together stakeholders including NYCN, NYSC, POCACOV, NANS, PCRC, NURTW, RTEAN, CRAN and NAOSNP, commenced with physical exercises led by the Command’s OC Sports, ASP Gregory Sylvester.
Beyond the symbolism of the walk, the Lagos Police initiative delivered a message that Nigeria’s young people must not become expendable tools in political contests whose consequences they, rather than their sponsors, will ultimately bear.
