Lagos Police Warn Youths: Don’t Become Tools for Political Violence

... CP Fatai urges peaceful participation as election season approaches

The Lagos State Police Command has warned youths against allowing themselves to be recruited for political thuggery, electoral violence, cultism, drug abuse and other criminal activities as the country approaches another electoral season.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Tijani Fatai, gave the warning during a youth sensitisation walkathon organised as part of activities marking the 2026 International Youth Day celebration.

The two-hour walk, which began at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, passed through Ipodo to Computer Village, bringing together police personnel, youths, members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria, National Association of Students, traders and community leaders.

Fatai said the initiative was designed to sensitise young people on their responsibilities as critical stakeholders and encourage them to contribute positively to the development of their communities.

The Commissioner noted that with political campaigns beginning, youths must avoid becoming instruments of violence, stressing that young people constitute a significant proportion of participants in political and electoral activities.

“We don’t want business as usual. We want our youths to know that they need to contribute meaningfully and positively to the electoral process, and not negatively,” he said.

Fatai urged the participants to take the message back to their communities and educate other young people on the need for peaceful participation in democratic activities.

He also advised youths to focus on building their future rather than allowing politicians to manipulate them for personal or political interests.

The Chairman of the Lagos State Youth Council, Ibrahim Adigun, similarly urged youths to resist attempts by politicians to recruit them for electoral violence.

Adigun warned that politicians who sponsor violence would not expose their own children to the dangers of political thuggery, urging young Nigerians to recognise their worth and protect their future.

The Lagos State Coordinator of the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices, SP Olivia Ugochukwu, said the walkathon was aimed at sending a strong message of peace and responsible citizenship to youths.

She urged young people to reject violence, thuggery and political manipulation, stressing that peaceful engagement was essential to building a better future.

Also speaking, the President of the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria, Lekan Olabulo, said the fight against crime and substance abuse should not be left to security agencies and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency alone.

Olabulo called for greater involvement of families, religious organisations and community leaders in preventing crime and drug abuse, while urging youths not to become willing tools in the hands of politicians seeking to foment violence.

The walk featured placards bearing messages including “My Future Is Greater Than Political Thuggery,” “Shun Digital Thuggery,” “Youth for Change” and “Together for Peace.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the Command’s message to youths was simple: “Say no to drugs and crime.”

She said the Command was focused not only on responding to crime but also on preventing young people from becoming involved in criminal activities through sustained sensitisation in schools and communities.