The theme is “Safety of life and properties over communal war”.
By Archibong Jeremiah
Cross River State chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has concluded a state-wide town hall meeting on security.
The town hall meeting began in the Northern senatorial district, went to the Central, and ended in the South, Thursday 1 February 2024.
The meeting of youths and security experts was necessitated by growing security concerns in the state.
The theme is “Safety of life and properties over communal war”.
ACP Onun Arikpo, second-in-command of Area Commander while presenting his paper said they are determined to face insecurity head on.
He reiterated that “We tried what is called police is your friend and till today, police is your friend, either you take it or leave it.”
ACP Onun went further to clarify issues of warrant of arrest. He said, “If you know your rights you should be able to know your obligation to the society. Not all cases do we arrest with a warrant, me showing you my ID card is a warrant card, not an identity card.”
He went on to differentiate between invitation and arrest. “Invitation you just go tell the person we needed your presence in the office if we are arresting you we arm ourselves with a warrant. When the matter is too urgent we use our warrant card.” ACP Onun explained.
On his part, ACC Udo Uduak of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in the state warned youths to desist from crime.
He maintained that “Peer pressure should not lead you into crime. Share information with security agencies because we earn our pay from your taxpayers’ money.”
ACC Uduak noted that crime is not committed by illiterates alone “Some people use their pen to steal.”
The State of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Comrade Daniel Obo said the essence of the town hall is to also commit the youth to supporting intelligence gathering and sharing.
He thanked participants for attending the town hall and called for all hands to be on deck to achieve a safer society.
Earlier, the welcome address was presented by Akwa Edet, the State Treasurer of NYCN, he sued for contributions.
He said “Today as youths of Cross River State it is your responsibility to leis, gather intelligence, and share. Security agents are not spirits, they rely on our intelligence.”