Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, has warned Nigerian youths against violence or engaging in political thuggery.
He urged them to rather embrace the special national campaign, tagged, “My Future Is Greater Than Political Thuggery,” as their watchword, adding that no political ambition is worth their lives or future.
Speaking at the International Youth Day 2026 National Youth Leadership & Security Initiative held at the Command Headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia, Uyo, the Commissioner urged the youths to participate actively in democratic processes but not in thuggery, noting that politics should be a contest of ideas and service rather than a battlefield.
He admitted that although young Nigerians come from different backgrounds and circumstances, they share common aspirations for education, employment, security, justice, equal opportunity and a better future.
Azare further urged youths to protect government infrastructure, describing public facilities as collective assets provided for the benefit of the people. He called on citizens to promptly report acts of vandalism and other suspicious activities to the Police or appropriate security agencies rather than taking the law into their own hands.
On digital responsibility, the Commissioner reinforced the campaign message, “Think Before You Click, Verify Before You Share,” urging youths to guard against misinformation, cyberbullying, defamatory content, manipulated media and the misuse of artificial intelligence. He stressed that the power to communicate through social media must be accompanied by responsibility.
CP Azare, however, warned that persons who choose these vices, including cybercrime, would be dealt with in accordance with the law, irrespective of status or affiliation.
He equally appealed to political actors and community leaders to desist from exploiting youths as instruments of electoral violence.
The Commissioner commended the Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, for his commitment to youth development and particularly for the initiative of integrating youth presidents and youth leadership structures into the security architecture of the State.
A major highlight of the celebration was the formal launch of the “ONE TO TELL TEN” Youth Engagement Programme, aimed at multiplying positive security messages across communities.
2026 IYD: CP cautions youths against violence, political thuggery