The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has launched a nationwide campaign to combat cultism and other social vices under the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV).
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Force Public Relations Officer, Anietie Okokon Edem Iniedu, said the initiative will be rolled out across all State Commands to address cultism, drug abuse, violent crimes, and other related vices through grassroots awareness, early intervention, and active community participation.
He noted that the campaign will collaborate with schools, communities, religious bodies, and key stakeholders to promote positive values, shield young people from criminal influences, and enhance preventive policing efforts across the country.
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The campaign is not entirely new. The Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV) was first introduced in 2020 under former IGP Mohammed Adamu as a preventive policing strategy aimed at tackling the root causes of crime among young Nigerians, especially cultism, drug abuse, and violent behaviour. Rather than focusing only on arrests, the initiative emphasizes advocacy, school outreaches, mentorship, and community engagement.
Under the current IGP, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, the campaign has now been expanded nationwide as part of renewed efforts to curb the rising wave of cult-related killings, substance abuse, and youth involvement in crime across the country. The police say the move is meant to strengthen community policing by partnering with schools, religious bodies, traditional rulers, and civil society groups.
