By Tony Adibe
A police advocacy group, the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), has cautioned students against joining cult groups and criminal gangs that would ruin their future.
POCACOV is a Nigeria Police initiative and a Public Relations tool of the Nigeria Police as well. The non-kinetic initiative is working with different stakeholders and multi agencies and galvanizing their partnership as well as enhancing participation towards problem solving for safe, peaceful, and secure communities.
NewsBits reports that POCACOV uses its extensive advocacy measures to help cut conveyor belts and supply chains of vices and criminality capable of shutting young minds from becoming a champion. The POCACOV Team Lead for Nsukka, Mr Dozie Akomas, gave the warning while speaking to cross sections of students and community members of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) at two separate venues in the institution on Friday.
Akomas also urged the students to resist the temptation of engaging in alcohol and drug abuse. He said: “POCACOV is appealing to you to resist pressures that will take you into belonging to unlawful societies and indulging into substance and drug abuse as well as other forms of negative vices.
“These negative tendencies and life-style are capable of making you not be focused to actualize your dreams, pursuits and goals in life as a champion.” According to him, “you ought to know your friends and the company you keep as they can help make you or deviate you from a successful and focused life.”
The POCACOV team lead also spoke on healthy life and habits as well as on positive coping methods as it affects improvement of their mental and body health through regular exercise. He also advised students on drinking safe water regularly to overcome the effect of climate changes (dehydration) as this may make them vulnerable health-wise.
Some of the students, who spoke during the engagements, expressed happiness with the move, while commending the Nigeria Police on the initiative. Mr Obinna Nwosu, a student of UNN, said that POCACOV had presented the Nigeria Police in a good light and “as a friend”.
“We are delighted with the initiative which is purely on changing mindsets and attitudes rather than arresting and prosecuting,” Nwosu said. Another student, Miss Joy Anike, said that the engagement had taught her a lot, adding that she would strive to get focused in life in order to make a great future.
