…launch “One To Tell Ten” Youth Campaign
By Ime Silas
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has used the 2026 International Youth Day to urge Nigerian youths to reject violence and criminality, while positioning young people as central partners in building safer communities across the state.
Speaking on Friday at the Command Headquarters in Ikot Akpan Abia, Uyo, during the International Youth Day 2026 National Youth Leadership & Security Initiative, the Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, fsi, said the day was an opportunity to remind young Nigerians that their aspirations for education, jobs, security, justice and equal opportunity can only be achieved in an atmosphere of peace.
CP Azare noted that although youths in Nigeria come from diverse backgrounds, they share one common future. He therefore called on them to embrace the national campaign “My Future Is Greater Than Political Thuggery,” stressing that no political ambition should cost a young person their life or dreams.
“Politics should be a contest of ideas and service, not a battlefield,” the Commissioner said.
“I urge you to participate actively in democratic processes, but reject violence. I also appeal to political actors and community leaders to stop using youths as instruments of electoral violence.”
The police boss listed political thuggery, cultism, drug abuse, cybercrime, electoral violence, vandalism and kidnapping among the vices pulling young people away from nation-building. He asked youths to protect government infrastructure, describing public facilities as collective assets meant to serve everyone. He further encouraged citizens to report acts of vandalism and other suspicious activities to the Police instead of taking the law into their own hands.
On the growing influence of digital platforms, CP Azare reinforced another key message for the day: “Think Before You Click, Verify Before You Share.” He warned that misinformation, cyberbullying, defamatory posts, manipulated media and the misuse of artificial intelligence are threatening social cohesion.
“The power to communicate through social media must come with responsibility,” he noted, stressing that “Your voice is stronger than misinformation. Your talent is greater than cybercrime.”
A major highlight of the event was the formal launch of the “ONE TO TELL TEN” Youth Engagement Programme. The initiative is designed to multiply positive security messages across communities through peer-to-peer advocacy.
Launching the programme, CP Azare charged every youth reached to pass the message to at least ten other young people, urging them to reject crime, political violence, cultism and drug abuse, embrace responsible use of social media, respect the rule of law, and see the Police as partners.
“ONE TO TELL TEN! TEN TO TELL A HUNDRED! A HUNDRED TO REACH THOUSANDS!” the Commissioner declared, to applause from youth leaders present.
He described youths as indispensable partners in modern policing and assured them of the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to community policing, intelligence-led policing and the professional protection of citizens’ rights and safety.
CP Azare also commended the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency Pastor Umo Eno, PhD, for his commitment to youth development. He specifically praised the Governor’s initiative of integrating youth presidents and youth leadership structures into the state’s security architecture, saying it strengthens intelligence gathering, early warning and crime prevention at the grassroots.
While extending an olive branch to law-abiding youths, the Commissioner issued a stern warning to those who choose criminality. He said anyone involved in violence, political thuggery, vandalism, cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery or cybercrime would face the full weight of the law, regardless of status or affiliation.
He therefore charged young Nigerians to “choose knowledge over ignorance, dialogue over violence, truth over misinformation, innovation over criminality, protection over vandalism and patriotism over division.”
“You are too valuable to become an instrument of violence,” CP Azare said. “Your future is greater than political thuggery.”
The Command reaffirmed its commitment to working with youths, government, traditional and religious institutions, community leaders, the media and other stakeholders to build a peaceful, secure and prosperous Akwa Ibom State.
