Matilda Omonaiye/
LAGOS, Nigeria — The Lagos State Police Command on Friday intensified efforts to curb political violence and the growing misuse of digital platforms, launching a campaign aimed at steering young Nigerians away from thuggery, cultism and cyber-enabled crime.
The initiative, unveiled alongside a Police-Youth Dialogue marking International Youth Day 2026, brought young people, student leaders, transport unions, community groups, journalists and senior representatives of Nigeria’s security agencies together at the Police Officers’ Wives Association Secretariat on Oduduwa Street, Lagos.
The campaign, tagged Campaign Against Political and Digital Thuggery, is part of a broader initiative directed by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, to strengthen relations between the police and young Nigerians while promoting responsible citizenship.
For the Lagos Commissioner of Police, CP Tijani Fatai, the challenge extends beyond conventional street violence. Political intimidation, cultism, misinformation and the weaponisation of social media, he said, increasingly demand cooperation between security agencies and the young people who dominate Nigeria’s digital and civic spaces.
Fatai urged youth leaders, student organisations, transport unions, community groups and the media to take ownership of the campaign rather than leave the responsibility for crime prevention solely to law enforcement.
He warned young people against allowing themselves to be recruited for political violence or using digital platforms to intimidate others, spread misinformation or facilitate criminal activity.
Security, the commissioner said, remained a shared responsibility, requiring residents to provide the police and other agencies with credible and timely information capable of preventing crimes before they occur.
The dialogue, organised around the International Youth Day theme, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” opened the floor to discussions on policing, political participation, social media, cultism, thuggery and the sometimes fraught relationship between young people and law enforcement.
Police officials argued that despite differences in social, economic and cultural circumstances, young Nigerians broadly share aspirations for security, opportunity and prosperity. They called on participants to turn their energy, creativity and influence toward civic and economic development rather than violence and criminality.
The gathering drew representatives of the Nigerian Army’s 9 Brigade, the Nigerian Air Force’s 651 Base Service Group, the Nigerian Navy at Beecroft, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Federal Road Safety Corps and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Also represented were the National Youth Service Corps, Police Community Relations Committee, National Youth Council of Nigeria, National Association of Nigerian Students, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria and National Association of Online Security News Publishers, among other organisations.
Members of the Police Officers’ Wives Association, the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices and youths from police barracks across Lagos also attended.
One of the central themes of the meeting was the changing nature of thuggery itself. While political thuggery has traditionally been associated with physical violence, intimidation and disruption, the police campaign seeks to draw attention to similar conduct in the digital sphere, where social media and other online platforms can be deployed for threats, harassment, misinformation and criminal mobilisation.
The Command called on young people to reject both forms.
During the event, Engr. Adigun Ibrahim Olalekan, Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, was named a Police-Youth Ambassador in recognition of what the Command described as his contribution to police-youth relations and community security.
Leaders of NANS, CRAN, NAOSNP and the youth wing of the PCRC were also recognised for their contributions to youth engagement, community policing and security initiatives in Lagos.
Fatai commended the security agencies, youth organisations and other stakeholders participating in the programme, but stressed that the effectiveness of the campaign would ultimately depend on whether its message travelled beyond Friday’s gathering.
He urged participating organisations to continually engage their members and communities on the dangers of political thuggery, cultism, cyber-enabled crime and violence, while encouraging young Nigerians to see themselves not merely as subjects of policing but as partners in building a safer society.
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