By Joshua Chibuzo Andrew | Owerri
The Imo State police command has urged secondary schools students in the state to reject the temptation of joining cult groups.
The commissioner of police in the state, Muhammed Berde, who spoke to the students of Comprehensive Development Secondary School Owerri, on Thursday said that the laws of the land prohibited citizens belonging to cult groups.
The CP was in the school on a one day sensitization Campaign Against Cultism and Other related vices by the police in the state in partnership with the 2003 Alumni association of the school.
Represented by the Deputy commissioner of police in charge of administration, Peter Okpara, the CP said that the idea was to catch the students young and to teach them the dangers of cultism, intake of hard drugs, pre martial sex and other related vices that go on in secondary schools.
Berde disclosed that the campaign was the Inspector General of Police initiative to ensure the security and wellbeing of students across the Federation.
While urging the students to shun cultism and other related vices and take their studies seriously, the CP said that the police treat cultists as criminals.
He said ” I urge you to shun cultism and other social vices. It is not good for you now and in the future. Take your studies seriously. It is through it that you will become useful in life. The inspector General of police loves you and he is committed to your security and wellbeing.
“That is why we are here today to mentor you and we are doing this in partnership with the 2003 set of your school. They are amazing. They have come to give back to the school that mentored and prepared them. They are giving you two thousand exercise books. This is their way of encouraging you to take your studies seriously. Please do not let them done.”
The chairman of Police Community Relations Committee in the state, Chima Chukwumere and the coordinator of Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices in the state, Kennedy Onwunali in their separate speeches urged the students to make their families proud by shunning Cultism and Other Vices and take their academic exercises seriously.
In his speech, the chairman of the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Alumni of the school, Maduabuchi Ikwuakolam, said that his set was donating two thousand exercise books to the students of the school.
He said that the gesture was his set’s commitment to helping the students take their studies seriously and shun cultism and other related vices.
Ikwuakolam, said that his set would continue to act as mentors to the students of the school so that they will make the right choices in life.
