The growing intersection between politics, youth vulnerability and the digital ecosystem has created a new security frontier in Nigeria, one in which violence is no longer confined to the streets, motor parks or political rallies, but can also be initiated, amplified and coordinated from the screens of mobile phones. Against this backdrop, the Lagos State Police Command under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police, CP Fatai Tijani on Thursday launched a campaign against political and digital thuggery, urging young Nigerians to reject violence, misinformation, cyber-enabled criminality and political exploitation as the country moves towards another electoral cycle.
The campaign, launched as part of activities marking International Youth Day 2026, was held alongside a Police-Youth Dialogue at the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA) Secretariat, Oduduwa Street, Lagos, under the theme “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.” The initiative brought together youths, security agencies, student bodies, transport unions, community organisations and the media in a broad-based effort to strengthen trust between young people and security institutions while positioning the youth as active partners in preserving peace. It was organised in line with the vision of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, to deepen police-community partnerships and proactive security engagement.
Addressing participants at the well attended summit, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Tijani Fatai, said the theme captured a fundamental reality: although young Nigerians operate in different social, economic and cultural circumstances, they share common aspirations for security, dignity, opportunity and a better future. He urged young people not to allow themselves to be recruited as instruments of political violence, warning that politicians who manipulate youths for electoral purposes rarely expose their own children to the dangers of thuggery. “None of these politicians will use any of their children for electioneering, thuggery, violence or what have you. It is these different children of nobody. But for me, I want to believe that there is nobody that is nobody. All of us are very important at this point.”
Fatai urged youths to look beyond immediate financial inducements and consider the long-term consequences of their choices. “Tomorrow is there for us. We should not think of today. We should always think of tomorrow. That tomorrow is more important than what we are today.”
According to him, young people must resist attempts to recruit them to snatch ballot materials, intimidate voters, attack opponents or disrupt elections, stressing that political participation should never degenerate into violence.
He also drew attention to the changing nature of thuggery, noting that political violence has increasingly acquired a digital dimension through online threats, harassment, misinformation, intimidation and manipulation. “Your phone is powerful. Your social media account is powerful. Your voice is powerful. Please use that power to build, not destroy.”
The CP called on youths to verify information before sharing it and exercise restraint when provoked online, while assuring that the Police would provide a safe environment for lawful political activities but act professionally against criminality and violence.
Fatai also challenged transport unions, particularly the NURTW and RTEAN, to become active partners in changing the narrative around motor parks and garages, urging their leaders to prevent their members from being recruited for political violence. “Please do not allow your members to be recruited as political thugs. Do not allow your garages or motor parks to become centres for political violence,” he said.
He similarly appealed to parents, educators, religious leaders, traditional rulers and community leaders to engage young people early, arguing that prevention begins long before criminal behaviour emerges.
The Commander, 9 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Ayokunle Owolabi, in his goodwill message, described the initiative as timely, particularly in an increasingly connected society where both physical and digital platforms can be exploited to create security challenges. He stressed that national security required a whole-of-society approach, with young Nigerians functioning not merely as beneficiaries of security but as active partners in strengthening national resilience.
The Lagos State Coordinator of POCACOV, SP Olivia Amarachi Ugochukwu, reinforced the preventive approach, urging youths to become agents of positive change in their communities. “Policing is everybody’s business. If you see something, say something,” she said, while also charging the media to “dish out only verified information.”
Ugochukwu said POCACOV would continue its sensitisation campaigns in schools and communities against drug abuse, cultism and other social vices, adding: “The change starts with us.”
The dialogue attracted representatives of the 9 Brigade Nigerian Army, 651 Base Service Group of the Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy Beecroft, NDLEA, FRSC and NSCDC, as well as POWA, NYSC, POCACOV, PCRC, NYCN, NANS, NURTW, RTEAN, CRAN, NAOSNP and youths from Police Barracks across Lagos. Participants engaged in discussions on policing, political participation, social media, cultism, thuggery, emerging security threats and police-youth relations.
In recognition of their contributions to Police-Youth relations and community security, Engr. Adigun Ibrahim Olalekan, Chairman of NYCN Lagos State, the President of National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), Mayor Oki O. Samson as Police-Youth Advocate, Heads of NANS and CRAN, were honoured as Police-Youth Ambassador and recognised for their contributions to security advocacy and community engagement.
The programme ultimately delivered a message that extends beyond the campaign itself. Nigeria cannot secure its future by policing only the consequences of youth exploitation; it must also prevent the exploitation from taking root. As political competition intensifies and digital platforms become increasingly influential in shaping public opinion, the most important security intervention may be the one that persuades a young Nigerian to refuse the money, reject the provocation, verify the information and walk away from violence.
For Lagos and Nigeria, the challenge is therefore not simply to keep young people away from crime, but to give them a stake in peace. Their contexts may be different, but their aspirations remain remarkably similar. Protecting those shared aspirations is a responsibility that belongs to the Police, government, parents, communities, the media, and, most importantly, the young people themselves.
