POCACOV National Coordinator Rallies Anambra Youths Against Cultism, Crime

SP Orvenonne Ikwen

The National Coordinator of the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), SP Orvenonne Ikwen, has urged youths in Anambra State to embrace the initiative and resist the temptation of engaging in cultism and other criminal activities.

She made the call in Awka, the Anambra State capital, during the Anambra State Stakeholders’ Interactive Meeting on the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices held on Thursday.
Speaking on the theme, “Building a Safer Society Through Strategic Partnerships and Youth Engagement,” SP Ikwen described youth engagement and collaboration as critical to national development and sustainable security.
According to her, the purpose of the visit was to engage stakeholders on practical ways of preventing young people from becoming involved in crime.
“We are here to save our children from avoidable crime. Modern policing is no longer based solely on arrests; it is about information gathering, intelligence sharing, community engagement, and crime prevention,” she said.
She stressed that the use of force alone can no longer guarantee effective policing, noting that security has become a shared responsibility.
“It is no longer enough to rely only on kinetic approaches to policing. Today, policing cannot be left to the police alone; it must involve communities, families, schools, religious institutions, and other critical stakeholders,” she added.
SP Ikwen further urged parents to play active roles in raising responsible children by instilling moral values and discouraging all forms of criminal behaviour.
She explained that POCACOV is more than a campaign against cultism, describing it as a national advocacy initiative aimed at shaping responsible, productive, and law-abiding future generations.
“Every parent should be concerned about the kind of children that will succeed us. We do not want to depend only on kinetic policing in securing the country. Through advocacy and sustained campaigns, we are reaching out to our children to become purposeful, focused, responsible, and useful members of society.
“We want to raise children who will make us proud and contribute positively to national development, not those whose actions will bring pain and disappointment.”she added.
She appealed to communities, institutions, and individuals to support the initiative.
“I invite every community and every well-meaning Nigerian to join us in preventing crime. Instead of joining cult groups, join POCACOV. We are also working towards establishing POCACOV clubs in schools across the state. We want to raise children we will all be proud of in the future,” she said.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, assured stakeholders that the command would continue to explore every legitimate avenue to improve security across the state.
According to him, the Inspector-General of Police is impressed with the security initiatives and community policing efforts being implemented by the Anambra State Command.
He explained that the successful implementation of the initiative informed the decision to relaunch the POCACOV programme in the state.
“We understand that effective policing cannot succeed without the support and acceptance of the people. We are not only talking about cultism but about preventing every form of crime.
“We know that every crime, no matter how small, can grow into a major security threat if left unchecked. That is why we want this programme to penetrate every community and become a people’s movement against crime,” Ikenga stated.
The President-General of the Anambra State Town Union Youth Wing, Comrade Kenneth Okoli, commended the Nigeria Police Force and the POCACOV National Coordinator for bringing the initiative to the state.
According to him, the programme has the potential to significantly reduce cultism and other violent crimes through sustained advocacy and community participation.
“We are ready and determined to identify with POCACOV. Policing today is no longer the exclusive responsibility of the police; it requires the active participation of families, communities, and other stakeholders. We must raise our children with truth, discipline, and good character,” he said.
He also encouraged Anambra youths to join POCACOV rather than becoming members of secret cults or other criminal groups.
Also speaking, the President of the United Business and Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Nkiru Nwagbo, challenged mothers to become more actively involved in shaping the future of their children.
According to her, mothers should be at the forefront of the campaign and advocacy against youth involvement in crime and other social vices.
She noted that mothers must serve as positive role models by demonstrating good values and responsible behaviour.
“Most of the things our children do are influenced by what they see in us. Therefore, we must pay attention to their emotional intelligence and moral upbringing. We must always correct our children whenever they do wrong instead of encouraging or defending their misconduct for any reason” she added.