ABUJA — The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu has called on political leaders and stakeholders to protect Nigerian youths from exploitation, warning that the nation’s future cannot be secured by sacrificing the generation that will inherit it. Speaking at the National Youth Leadership and Security Dialogue organized by the Nigeria Police Force to mark International Youth Day 2026 under the theme “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” and the campaign “My Future Is Greater Than Political and Digital Thuggery,” the IGP condemned the use of young people as instruments of political violence. “Do not recruit our young people to fight your political battles. Do not arm them. Do not finance violence. Do not incite them against their fellow citizens,” he stated.
IGP Disu stressed that while political actors may reconcile after elections, youths who become victims face irreversible consequences — death, permanent injury, arrest, and lost opportunities. He noted that young Nigerians have enormous potential to drive national transformation through education, entrepreneurship, technology, innovation and service, and urged leaders to channel their energy toward productive engagement instead of violence. “Nigeria cannot build a secure and prosperous future by destroying the generation that is expected to inherit that future,” he said. “No political office is worth your life. No politician’s ambition is worth destroying your future.”
The IGP emphasized that protecting youths is a shared responsibility. While urging political actors to desist from manipulation, he also called on young Nigerians to reject recruitment into violence and partner with the Police to prevent crime, promote responsible digital citizenship, and strengthen peaceful democratic participation. “DO NOT WEAPONISE OUR YOUTHS. EMPOWER THEM. INSPIRE THEM. LET THEM BUILD NIGERIA,” Disu declared. As the country approaches the 2027 electoral cycle, the Nigeria Police Force reaffirmed its commitment to protecting youths from criminal exploitation and working with them as partners in national security and development.
