By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Security agencies in Anambra State have intensified collaborative efforts to combat cultism, drug abuse and other social vices among youths through sustained advocacy and community engagement.
This formed the focus of a one-day youth summit organised by the Youth Assembly of Nigeria (YAN), Anaocha Chapter, which held over the weekend at Swisspoint Hotel, Agulu, with the theme: “Combating Drug Abuse and Cultism Among the Youth for a Safer Society.”
The summit brought together officials of the Anambra State Police Command, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), alongside other security stakeholders and youth leaders.
Confirming this in a statement to newsmen on Saturday after the event, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the engagement formed part of ongoing advocacy initiatives aimed at discouraging youths from involvement in cultism, drug abuse and related criminal activities.
According to SP Ikenga, who was also one of the keynote speakers at the event, the interaction also highlighted the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), a non-kinetic initiative of the Nigeria Police Force designed to expose the dangers associated with cultism, illicit drugs and other social vices.
It was further gathered that speakers at the summit emphasised the importance of collective action among security agencies, community leaders, parents and the youths themselves in addressing the growing challenges of drug abuse and cult-related activities in society.
They urged young people to embrace positive values and pursue lawful means of achieving their aspirations, while warning that involvement in criminal activities often leads to devastating personal and societal consequences.
The programme also featured the testimony of a survivor of drug addiction, who shared personal experiences on the destructive effects of substance abuse, as well as the screening of video clips highlighting the dangers associated with drug misuse among young people, even as the participants and speakers reassured of sustained efforts to promote a safer and more secure Anambra State.
More photos from the event:
