By Bako Christopher
ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Nigerian Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu has charged Nigerian youths to reject political and digital thuggery, warning that those who die in electoral violence will not return home when politicians reconcile after elections.
IGP Disu made the call on Thursday in Abuja at the National Youth Leadership and Security Dialogue organised by the Nigeria Police Force to commemorate International Youth Day 2026 with the theme “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations” and campaign “my future is greater than political and digital thuggery.”
“Do Not Allow Yourself To Be Used.”
Speaking to hundreds of youth leaders across the country, the IGP said the dialogue came at a critical time as Nigeria approaches the 2027 electoral cycle.
“Politicians contest elections, but you live with the consequences of those elections,” Disu warned.
“When the campaign is over, political actors may reconcile. When political rivals disagree, they may eventually shake hands. But the young Nigerian who loses his or her life to electoral violence does not return home.”
He listed four key charges to Nigerian youths:
Do not allow yourself to be recruited for violence; do not carry a weapon for anybody’s political ambition; do not become an instrument of misinformation, hate or digital intimidation; and participate actively, peacefully and lawfully in our democracy.
“Your future is not yours alone. Your future is Nigeria’s future,” he said.
Police Pledge: We Will Protect, But Not Protect Violence –
The IGP reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to protect the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful political participation, campaigns, and expression.
“We will protect citizens. We will facilitate peaceful campaigns. We will secure candidates, campaign venues and public spaces within the law,” he stated.
“We will not protect violence. We will not tolerate the recruitment or mobilisation of young Nigerians for political violence. The law will take its course against anyone who crosses that line. And this message is not directed at one political party. It is directed at everyone.”
The New Threat: Digital Thuggery –
IGP Disu warned that the battlefield has shifted from the streets to smartphones, citing misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, cyberbullying, deepfakes and coordinated online attacks as tools now used to inflame communities and undermine democracy.
To young Nigerians, his message was direct:
“Think before you click. Verify before you share. Pause before you post.”
“Before you forward a message, verify it. Before you publish an allegation, establish the facts. Before you share inflammatory content, ask yourself: ‘Will this build Nigeria or burn Nigeria?’”
Call To Political Leaders –
The Police boss also appealed to political leaders across party lines not to recruit, arm, or finance young people for violence.
“Do not incite them against their fellow citizens. Do not encourage them to commit crimes today and promise to protect them tomorrow. Nigeria cannot build a secure and prosperous future by destroying the generation that is expected to inherit that future,” he said.
Quoting Kofi Annan, IGP Disu said: “Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation” — not as instruments of destruction, but as drivers of national transformation.
Police-youth Partnership For Safer Communities –
The IGP said the dialogue was not just about what youths should not do, but about building a partnership for what they can do.
The Nigeria Police Force, he noted, wants to engage youths as partners in preventing violence, combating cybercrime, promoting responsible digital citizenship, and strengthening peaceful democratic participation.
“Security is not the responsibility of the Police alone. It is a shared responsibility,” he added, commending NGOs, civil society, government and private sector partners for investing in “Nigeria’s most important resource — its young people.”
“History Will Judge This Generation”
In a passionate closing, IGP Disu told the youths: “History will judge your generation. Did you destroy, or did you build? Did you fight for politicians, or did you fight for your future?”
“I want history to remember this generation as the generation that refused to be used. The generation that chose peace over violence. The generation that chose innovation over destruction. The generation that built a better Nigeria.”
He declared the National Youth Leadership and Security Dialogue 2026 formally open.
Security Watch Africa will continue to bring you updates on the Nigeria Police Force’s Youth engagement and security initiatives nationwide.
