The nationwide relaunch of the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), an initiative of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, kicked off in Rivers State on Wednesday with a renewed call for collective action to protect young people from cultism, drug abuse and other social vices.
The relaunch, held at the Police Officers’ Mess, Old GRA, Port Harcourt, reinforces the Inspector-General’s vision of strengthening preventive policing through sustained community engagement, youth sensitisation and strategic partnerships across the country.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, described cultism as a destructive lifestyle built on false promises of protection, wealth and influence, warning that it ultimately leads to violence, imprisonment and death. He stressed that parents, schools, religious institutions and community leaders must work together to instil the right values in young people, noting that prevention remains the most effective approach to tackling crime.
The National Coordinator of POCACOV, SP Onne Ikwen, said the Inspector-General directed the nationwide relaunch to reinvigorate the campaign and deepen public participation in crime prevention. She explained that POCACOV, which has been in existence for over seven years, remains one of the Nigeria Police Force’s foremost non-kinetic crime prevention strategies, adding that security is a shared responsibility that requires the active involvement of all stakeholders.
Also speaking, the traditional ruler of Evo Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Sir Dr. Leslie Nyebuchi Eke (JP), Eze Gbakagbaka of Evo Kingdom, commended the Inspector-General for revitalising the initiative nationwide. He described POCACOV as a timely platform for promoting positive values and discouraging criminality, urging all participants to spread its message across Rivers State and beyond.
The event attracted traditional rulers, students, academics, civil society organisations, senior police officers and other stakeholders, reaffirming the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment under the leadership of IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu to building safer communities through preventive policing.
