The Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), Oyo State Command, has urged young people to shun cultism and criminal activities, assuring vulnerable children that they remain valued members of society with a future worth protecting.
The POCACOV State Coordinator, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ayishat Mary Eriaremhien, made the call on Saturday, September 5, during a World Charity Day outreach to children at the Juvenile Correctional Institution and Child Care Unit in Sango, Ibadan.
Eriaremhien said the outreach was aimed not only at providing material support but also at giving vulnerable children a sense of belonging, love and hope for a better future.
She said the police initiative, carried out on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, was intended to demonstrate that society had not forgotten children facing difficult circumstances.
POCACOV brought essential supplies to the centre as part of efforts to support the vulnerable children and urged the youths among them to avoid crime and secret cults, warning that involvement in such activities could lead to imprisonment and untimely death.
Eriaremhien therefore urged the children to resist negative influences and avoid activities that could jeopardise their future.
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The POCACOV coordinator also appealed to parents to take greater responsibility for the upbringing of their children, stressing the need to monitor their activities, friendships and social interactions to prevent them from being lured into cultism and other vices.
She said parents should regard their children as valuable assets and remain vigilant about the people and environments influencing them, noting that effective parental guidance could play a major role in preventing youth involvement in crime.
Speaking on the significance of the visit, the Head of the Institution, Mrs. Adebisi Sonuga, expressed appreciation to the police for their continued support and protection of the facility.
She described the command as a dependable partner that had consistently responded whenever the home required assistance.
Sonuga urged members of the public to remember vulnerable children and regularly visit care facilities to share love and joy with them, particularly during personal celebrations such as birthdays.
She, however, disclosed that the institution was facing persistent challenges relating to logistics and funding, appealing to individuals, corporate organisations and other well-meaning Nigerians to support the home with financial and material donations.
The institution’s head also raised concern over child abandonment, urging parents who could no longer cater for their children to hand them over to registered private or government-owned care homes instead of abandoning them in dangerous circumstances.
The POCACOV State Chairman, Dr. Abraham Adeoye, said the outreach was part of activities to mark World Charity Day in line with a nationwide directive from the Inspector-General of Police, aimed at extending goodwill to vulnerable groups across the country.
Adeoye, who presented relief items donated through the generosity of the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Ayodeji Abimbola, also called on government, philanthropists, political leaders and public-spirited Nigerians to support the facility.
He stressed the need for structured educational and vocational programmes that would equip the children with skills and opportunities capable of securing a productive future for them.