The Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV) has broadened its’ community based crime prevention efforts, taking its’ advocacy beyond schools and youth groups to transport unions, market leaders and other grassroots stakeholders viewed as critical to maintaining public order, ahead of next year’s general elections.
The sensitization programme, held on Monday at the Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area Secretariat Hall on Gaskiya College Road, Badia, Lagos, brought together members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), market representatives, youth leaders, police officers and community stakeholders under the theme, “Say No to Drug Abuse, Cultism and Election Violence.”
Opening the event, the Executive Chairman of Apapa-Iganmu LCDA, Hon. Jimoh Olawale Saliu, described the gathering as the next phase of an ongoing collaboration between the council and POCACOV. Having previously concentrated on students and young people, he said the initiative was now extending into markets, motor parks and neighbourhoods where everyday interactions present opportunities to shape public behaviour and strengthen community vigilance.
Saliu urged transport operators, traders and residents to reject drug abuse, discourage cult-related activities and ensure that public spaces under their influence do not become safe havens for criminal elements. He maintained that the local council would not tolerate election-related violence, stressing that preserving the area’s reputation as a peaceful council required the active participation of community groups alongside government institutions.
The council chairman also advocated deeper collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force through grassroots intelligence gathering, proposing structured channels for confidential reporting of cult activities and drug trafficking. He further emphasized youth empowerment through sports and other constructive engagements, arguing that sustainable crime prevention depends as much on creating opportunities as on law enforcement.
Representing the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the Area Commander of Area B Command, Apapa, ACP Onyinyechi Onwuamaegbu, framed the campaign as a collective responsibility requiring every citizen to become an agent of peace before, during and after the elections.
She noted that transport unions occupy a strategic position in society because of their daily contact with thousands of commuters and job seekers, making parks and terminals influential community spaces that must be protected from criminal exploitation. According to her, union leaders and operators have a duty to ensure that those environments are not used for cult recruitment, drug trafficking, thuggery, sexual violence or other criminal activities.
She warned that substance abuse remains a major driver of violent crime, contributing to deteriorating health, broken families, imprisonment and avoidable deaths. She therefore urged transport operators, traders and market leaders to actively resist the sale, distribution and consumption of illicit drugs within their domains while strengthening cooperation with security agencies.
She also challenged long held myths portraying cult groups as pathways to protection, influence or financial success, describing such narratives as deceptive and destructive. Rather than delivering prosperity, she said, cultism often leaves its’ recruits with shattered ambitions, criminal records and in many cases, death.
With election activities expected to intensify in the coming months, Onwuamaegbu cautioned young people against allowing themselves to be recruited by political actors to foment violence. She encouraged residents to reject jungle justice, avoid shielding offenders and make use of the Nigeria Police Force’s open door reporting policy by providing credible information capable of preventing crime before it occurs.
She explained that POCACOV’s preventive policing model focuses on identifying the social drivers of crime through sustained engagement, public education and mentorship across schools, religious centres, markets, transport parks and communities, maintaining that preventing crime is ultimately more effective and less costly than responding after offences have been committed.
The Lagos State POCACOV Coordinator, SP Olivia Ugochukwu said the sensitization campaign was designed to promote responsible citizenship and peaceful conduct as the country approaches the elections. She explained that the programme would not end with a single awareness session but would be followed by continued grassroots engagement, reorientation campaigns and regular interactions with transport workers, traders and community members.
She disclosed that similar initiatives are planned for other local government areas across Lagos State, expressing optimism that stronger partnerships with local councils, private organizations and public institutions would broaden the campaign’s reach and reinforce community led efforts to curb drug abuse, cultism and election violence.
