Enugu youths have staged a powerful march against terror, criminality and violent extremism, pledging to support Governor Peter Mbah and the Federal Government’s campaign for improved security.
Residents and youths in Enugu State have staged a powerful march against terror, criminality and violent extremism, declaring their support for the security efforts of the Federal Government and Governor Peter Mbah.
The youths, comprising undergraduates, members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and other young residents, marched through major streets in Enugu metropolis before converging at the Government House, where they were received by Governor Mbah.
The participants pledged to mobilise young people across the state against criminal activities, cultism, terrorism and violent extremism. The march and the key commitments made by participants were reported by multiple news outlets.
Addressing the youths, Mbah said security was one of the critical risk factors identified by his administration while developing the foundations for Enugu State’s growth.
He said this informed his administration’s decision to confront insecurity from the outset.
The governor commended the youths for taking the initiative to support the anti-crime efforts of the President Bola Tinubu administration and the Enugu State Government.
Mbah said his administration’s “Tomorrow Is Here” agenda was not merely a political slogan but a commitment to investing in young people who would take responsibility for the future of the state.
“For you to march through the streets and end here preaching the message against crime and terrorism is profound. Ordinarily, we should be the ones preaching to you against such vices,” Mbah said.
“But by this act, you are telling us that you are not going to be on the fringes or stand by and watch. Rather, you are going to be at the forefront of the campaign against cultism, crime and terrorism.”
Mbah said greater youth participation in the fight against criminality could significantly reduce crime and enable government to redirect more resources towards job creation, poverty eradication and development.
He noted that countries that achieved significant reductions in crime had been able to reduce the burden on their correctional systems.
According to the governor, Enugu State has adopted a zero-tolerance approach to criminality, stressing that sustained peace and security are essential for attracting investment and stimulating economic growth.
He urged the youths to take their campaign against crime and terrorism to communities across the state.
Mbah said the message from the youths would be particularly significant because it would demonstrate that criminality was no longer attractive or fashionable among young people.
The governor added that the state government would complement the campaign through non-kinetic measures, including job creation, investment in education and digital skills development.
“Your campaign is heartwarming. When citizens apply scholarly and constructive approaches, government will be glad to engage them constructively and productively too,” he said.
Earlier, the leader of the march and Deputy Rector of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, Dr Emeka Ejim, described the coalition as a broad-based youth movement comprising students and corps members united against crime, cultism and terrorism.
Ejim pledged the group’s support for the Enugu State Government’s security efforts.
He said the state had combined security operations with non-kinetic interventions, including skills acquisition and job creation programmes, in its campaign against crime.
“We pledge never to join bad groups within and outside Nigeria. We are joining you against terrorism,” Ejim said.
The Enugu State leader of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Okeke Kelvin, said the association would mobilise no fewer than two million youths to support the campaign against violence and terror.
“This is the only way we can show you that we are against terror. We say no to terrorism,” Kelvin said.
Kelvin commended the Enugu State Government for investments in modern security infrastructure, including the Command and Control Centre, Centre for DNA Forensics and Criminal Investigation, and the Distress Response Squad.
He said the security facilities and interventions were contributing to efforts to tackle crime across the state.
Recent reports have also highlighted Enugu’s increased focus on intelligence, technology and coordinated security operations as part of efforts to disrupt criminal networks and improve public safety.
NYSC members Olaranju Oreose and Emmanuela Momoh also expressed appreciation for the security situation they had experienced since arriving in Enugu.
Oreose, who said he was posted to Enugu from the South-West, explained that his experience in the state had changed the fears he initially had about serving in the South-East.
“I have been in Enugu from January till now, and I want to say that my journey and experience so far here has been wonderful in terms of security,” he said.
He added that his experience had changed his earlier perception and stressed that young people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds participating in the march were united in rejecting terrorism.
The march reinforced the youths’ commitment to supporting government and security agencies in the campaign against insecurity, with participants insisting that the responsibility for building a safer Enugu must extend beyond security institutions to citizens and communities.
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