(Lagoa Map. Photo by Premuim Times)
The Lagos State Security Trust Fund has launched a statewide campaign against cultism, drug abuse and other criminal activities among youths, with the initiative taking off in Agege Local Government Area before extending to all 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas across the state.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the agency’s media head, Samson Oki, obtained by an online news platform on Monday.
The campaign, tagged LSSTF Campaign Against Crime, Cultism and Other Vices, is designed to curb crime through youth education, community engagement and value reorientation.
The statement noted that while speaking on the initiative, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Dr Ayodele Ogunsan, said sustainable security could only be achieved by preventing crime before it occurs rather than relying solely on arrests and prosecution.
He described the campaign as a community-driven intervention aimed at discouraging cultism, illicit drug use, youth vi0lence and other social vices while promoting responsible citizenship among young people.
He explained that security is most effective when crime is stopped before it happens, noting that through the LSSTF-CACCOV, the agency is taking a preventive, community-driven approach that empowers young people with the right values, information and opportunities to reject crime, cultism and illicit drugs before they become victims or perpetrators.
He disclosed that the initiative would be implemented in partnership with the Nigeria Police Force, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, local government authorities, traditional rulers, religious organisations, schools, youth groups and other stakeholders, stressing that no institution can build a secure society alone and that when government agencies, communities, parents, schools and young people work together, an environment is created where crime struggles to thrive.
Ogunsan said the campaign aligns with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s youth development agenda, which prioritises education, entrepreneurship, skills acquisition, digital innovation, vocational training and sports development as tools for reducing youth involvement in crime.
He noted that the state’s investments in youth empowerment were aimed at addressing the root causes of criminality while equipping young people to become productive contributors to society.
The campaign will be coordinated by the State Coordinator of LSSTF-CACCOV, Dr Moses Oladimeji, who has led several grassroots awareness programmes in tertiary institutions and communities across Lagos.
According to the LSSTF, the initiative has already reached thousands of students and youths through campaigns against cultism, drug abuse, cybercrime, r@pe, gang vi0lence and other social vices.
It will be recalled that during the 2026 Yaba College of Technology freshers’ orientation programme, Oladimeji had urged students to shun criminal activities and embrace discipline, integrity and hard work.
He cited the LSSTF boss, an alumnus of the institution, as an example of how determination and the right choices can lead to success regardless of one’s background.
In recent years, observers have noted that cult-related vi0lence has remained one of the major security challenges confronting Lagos, with recurrent clashes between rival gangs leading to d£aths, injuries and destruction of property in communities such as Mushin, Agege, Ikorodu, Ojo, Alimosho, Ajeromi-Ifelodun and Lagos Mainland.
Security agencies have linked many of the incidents to supremacy battles involving rival cult groups, with innocent residents frequently caught in the crossfire.
The menace has also been associated with armed r0bbery, drug tr@fficking, extortion and the recruitment of young people into criminal networks, prompting sustained police crackdowns and community concern.
