Anambra CP urges teenagers to report cultism, criminal acts, says parents covering evil should be reported
By Sunny A. David, Awka
The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Nnanna Oji Ama, has urged teenagers and young people to reject cultism, drug abuse and other forms of antisocial behaviour, while encouraging them to report criminal activities to the appropriate authorities.
The commissioner gave the charge during a sensitisation programme organised for teenagers at Abba Town Hall in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State over the weekend.
Represented by the Officer in Charge of Community Policing, ASP Oluchukwu Anaemena, the police commissioner warned that involvement in cult-related activities could undermine young people’s freedom and damage the bonds that hold communities together.
He advised the teenagers to stay away from friends and groups that could negatively influence their behaviour, urging them to promptly report anyone attempting to recruit them into cult groups or involve them in criminal activities.
Ama also encouraged the youths to speak to trusted adults, community leaders or security personnel whenever they encounter suspicious or criminal activities.
The commissioner further urged the teenagers to report even their parents to the police where such parents were allegedly protecting or concealing criminal activities.
He provided police contact numbers to enable the youths and other residents to quickly alert the authorities whenever they needed assistance or had information concerning criminal activities.
Ama said the police would continue such community-based engagements in different parts of the state as part of efforts to promote positive behavioural change and strengthen cooperation between young people and law enforcement agencies.
He also encouraged the teenagers to aspire to become responsible citizens and positive representatives of their communities.
During the programme, one of the teenagers, identified as Chinaza, said she was inspired by the presentation and expressed her desire to become a police officer.
In his remarks, the President of Abba Town Union Youth Wing, Comrade Paschal Iloabuchi Uchelue, urged the teenagers to take the lessons from the programme seriously and apply them in their daily lives for their benefit and that of the wider society.
The President-General of Abba Town Union, Dr Roy Chinweuba, also welcomed the police delegation to the community.