By Sarah Ezeh
The Nigeria Police Force has intensified efforts to curb cultism and other youth-related crimes in Anambra State by launching a school-based prevention campaign and mobilising community leaders, security agencies and civil society organisations to strengthen partnerships against criminality.
The initiative, driven through the Inspector-General of Police’s Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), received broad support at a stakeholders’ interactive session held on Friday at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre in Awka.
Participants endorsed preventive policing strategies centred on youth engagement, value reorientation and community participation to address cultism, drug abuse, cybercrime and other social vices.
Addressing the gathering, the National Coordinator of POCACOV, Superintendent of Police Orvenonne Ikwen, reaffirmed the Inspector-General of Police’s commitment to preventive policing.
She described the initiative as a proactive strategy that tackles the root causes of crime through advocacy, mentorship, community collaboration and positive value orientation rather than relying solely on enforcement.
She explained that POCACOV is a nationwide initiative designed to shift policing from reactive operations to intelligence-led, community-based crime prevention by strengthening collaboration among families, schools, religious institutions, the media and law enforcement agencies.
As part of the programme, Ikwen approved the establishment of POCACOV clubs in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions across Anambra State, as well as among out-of-school youths, to promote responsible citizenship, discourage criminal behaviour and provide young people with positive alternatives to crime.
Responding to questions from participants, she said reforms introduced by the Inspector-General of Police are aimed at improving professionalism within the Nigeria Police Force, strengthening accountability and rebuilding public confidence.
She added that disciplinary measures are being enforced against erring officers, including those involved in illegal roadblocks, while the Police Complaints Response Unit remains accessible through its digital platforms.
Representing the Anambra State Police Command, the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Ikenga Tochukwu, said effective security requires active public participation, stressing that policing remains a shared responsibility between law enforcement agencies and communities.
He reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to building stronger partnerships that promote peace, public safety and sustainable development.
The President of the United Business and Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mrs Nkiru Nwagbo, urged mothers to take a more active role in preventing youth involvement in crime by providing moral guidance and serving as positive role models.
“Our children are influenced by what they see in us,” she said. “Parents must pay close attention to their emotional development and moral upbringing, correcting wrongdoing rather than defending unacceptable behaviour.”
In a presentation, the President-General of the Anambra State Town Unions Council (ASTUC) Youth Wing, Mr Ken Okoli, described POCACOV as a police-initiated but community-owned platform that offers young people a positive sense of belonging as an alternative to cult groups.
He called on parents, schools, religious institutions and community leaders to work together in instilling values that discourage criminality and promote responsible citizenship.
Other participants urged the police to intensify efforts against criminal elements while ensuring the identities of citizens who provide intelligence to security agencies remain protected.
They also stressed the need for stronger family involvement in raising responsible children, noting that mothers often bear the emotional burden when young people become involved in crime.
The programme featured goodwill messages from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council, women’s organisations and other stakeholders, followed by discussions on strengthening community resilience and expanding collaboration between citizens and law enforcement agencies.
The event concluded with the presentation of a symbolic gift to the Inspector-General of Police by the ASTUC Youth Wing, led by Mr Ken Okoli, in what organisers described as a demonstration of public support for the POCACOV initiative.
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