By Stanley Nwanosike
Enugu – The Police Command in Enugu State says it has sensitised no fewer than 500 students of Government Technical College (GTC), Enugu against cultism and other anti-social behaviours.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), for the Command, SP Ebere Amaraizu, made the disclosure on Saturday during a Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV) programme at the premises of the college in Enugu on Saturday.
Amaraizu spoke on the topic: ‘‘Do not Distort Your Bright Future: Avoid Cultism and Hard Drugs.’’
He called on students to always resist the temptation and pressure from peer groups to indulge in negative behaviour, adding that they should be law abiding.
According to him, lack of belief in oneself, thereby looking for ways of cutting corners and fear usually contributed in making students to get involved into what they cannot later account for such as cultism.
He said: ‘‘Be on the watch out and really know who your friends are.
‘‘Endeavour to report to your parents, guardians and teachers about any act of pressure or intimidation by anyone or group for you to belong to any group or association you do not understand.’’
The Enugu State Team Lead for Nigeria Policing Programme (NPP), Mr Solomon Akpanufot, advised the students not to yield to any pressure that would make them go astray and joining any cult group.
‘‘As a student, you must not only study your books but also study your friends and close companions to understand them and know more about their life-styles,’’ Akpanufot said.
The Vice-Principal of the college (Administration), Mr Ikechukwu Ugwu, said that the programme was a huge success.
He thanked the police command for the sensitisation meant to guide students to protect their future.
Ugwu noted that students and even their teachers were excited about the sensitisation on cultism and other related offences in which they asked a lot of questions and got replies as well.
‘‘Cultism is an evil that does the society no good, it brings with it much evil, destruction and waste.
‘‘It is good that everybody in the society join hands with the law enforcement agencies, especially the police and state Ministry of Education, to fight this monster,’’ he urged. (NAN)
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