Int’l Youth Day: Speech of Mayor Oki O. Samson at Police-Youth Dialogue; Different Contexts, Common Aspiration: Rebuilding Trust Between Police and Young Nigerians
By Trek Africa Newspaper
(Panel Remarks for the Lagos Police Command Youth Summit by Mayor Oki O. Samson, President of NAOSNP at the Launch of the National Campaign Against Political and Digital Thuggery and Police-Youth Dialogue)
Distinguished officers, young Nigerians, stakeholders, ladies and gentlemen:
The theme, “Different Contexts, Common Aspiration,” captures perhaps the most important truth we must confront today: the Police and young people may occupy different positions in society, but both ultimately desire the same thing, which is a Nigeria in which lives are safe, rights are respected, opportunities exist and the future is not held hostage by violence. Nigeria’s experience with electoral violence demonstrates why this conversation matters.
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) reports that the 2023 election cycle recorded more violence than the 2019 cycle, while the EU Election Observation Mission documented at least 101 violent incidents and 74 fatalities during the campaign period. ACLED also recorded 175 violent events involving cult militias between January 2022 and February 2023, resulting in nearly 280 reported fatalities, with Lagos accounting for about 20 per cent of those incidents. These figures should not merely alarm us; they should change how we think about young people.
*From Political Thuggery to Digital Thuggery*
The traditional political thug operated physically with a weapon, a gang, a street network or a political sponsor. Today’s digital thug may operate from a bedroom with a smartphone. The weapon can now be a manipulated video, fabricated headline, coordinated harassment, doxxing, impersonation, hate speech or deliberately false information designed to provoke anger and mobilise people against another group.
This is particularly dangerous because digital violence can travel faster than physical violence. The 2023 elections demonstrated the consequences of inflammatory rhetoric, misinformation and violence. International IDEA notes that Nigeria’s political environment is increasingly shaped by digital campaigning and that existing political-finance and regulatory frameworks face significant implementation gaps in the digital age.
Therefore, the national campaign against political and digital thuggery must not treat the online space as separate from physical security. What begins as a post can become a protest; what begins as misinformation can become confrontation; what begins as political abuse can become physical violence.
*The Youth Are Not the Problem, They Are Part of the Solution*
A research report published in African Affairs following the 2023 elections found that young Nigerians operating in violent political environments often demonstrated what the researchers described as “constrained optimism”, that means they remained committed to democracy and civic participation despite limited confidence in political institutions. That finding should profoundly influence our approach. We should stop talking about young people and start talking with them.
The question should not simply be, “How do we prevent youths from becoming thugs?”
It should be:
“What are we doing to ensure that young people have better alternatives to thuggery?”
A young person who has political education, employment opportunities, civic identity, mentorship and a sense of belonging is less vulnerable to manipulation than one who feels excluded, angry and economically desperate.
*Police-Youth Dialogue Must Become Continuous*
A dialogue like this should not end when today’s microphones are switched off. The police should establish sustained youth engagement mechanisms—through schools, universities, NYSC communities, youth organisations, religious bodies, sports clubs and digital platforms. And the engagement must be two-way. The Police should explain their mandate, procedures and constraints. Young people should be able to explain their fears, experiences and expectations of policing.
Trust is not created by public relations. It is created by repeated, credible experiences.
The 2023 election experience showed that public confidence is central to democratic security. The International IDEA report, I mentioned earlier, identified public trust as a continuing challenge within Nigeria’s electoral environment, while election observers also identified weaknesses in security responses to electoral violations.
*Five Practical Commitments that I would therefore propose from this summit will be:*
First, Police without prejudice: The young person wearing a hoodie, carrying a smartphone or criticising government is not automatically a criminal. Suspicion must be evidence-based, and enforcement must remain lawful and proportionate.
Second, Youth without violence: Political disagreement must never become a justification for assault, intimidation, destruction or online harassment. Your vote is powerful precisely because it is peaceful.
Third, Digital responsibility: Before forwarding political content, ask: Who created it? Is it verifiable? What is the purpose? Could sharing it endanger someone? Not everything that is viral is true, and not everything that is provocative deserves to be shared.
Fourth, Intelligence-led prevention: Young people should become partners in security by reporting credible threats through appropriate channels rather than confronting suspected criminals themselves.
Fifth, Accountability on all sides: Political sponsors who recruit, finance or weaponise young people for violence must face consequences. Equally, security personnel who abuse their authority must be held accountable. A society cannot demand responsible citizens while tolerating irresponsible power.
*The Challenge Before Us*
The real test of this campaign will not be the number of banners produced or speeches delivered. It will be whether, 5 months from now when the 2027 general elections will be taking place, a young Nigerian will choose dialogue instead of violence; whether a political actor will choose persuasion instead of intimidation; whether a Police officer will choose restraint instead of unnecessary force; and whether a citizen will choose verification instead of forwarding inflammatory misinformation.
Our different contexts should not become reasons for confrontation. They should become the basis for understanding. The Police need the trust of the youth. The youth need the protection of the police. Democracy needs both.
Let this campaign therefore become more than a launch.
Different contexts. Common aspiration. One Nigeria. One future.
By Mayor Oki O. Samson, National President, National Association of Online Security News Publishers, NAOSNP.
